middle school romance
by katkat15
Summary: waahh! amu is finally starting middle-school! and, there's a bonus...she defeated easter over the summer and made friends with utau, so easter won't be a problem for her in the new semester.the real problem is...making a choice between her male friends..
1. Chapter 1

**- Chapie # 1! -**

)(Amu POV)(

"Waahh!!" I yelled as I landed head-first, on the floor.

"Ow, ow, ow."

I rubbed my head and sighed as I looked up at the ceiling.

"How many times have I fallen off my bed already?" I asked myself.

My back was on the ground, but my legs were still on the bed.

i moaned as the alarm clock suddenly rang.

"Great! NOW you ring?"

I struggled to get up, but it took a few seconds. I suddenly slammed the clock hard, right on top, then sighed and got dressed in my school uniform, which looked something like my elementary school uniform, except instead of red stripes, it was green. After i tugged at the last wrinkle of my shirt, i faced towards my window and walked towards it. As i watched the sun start to rise form behind the other houses, i wondered about what this day held for me.

'School's finally starting again, huh?'

* - * - * - *

I walked downstairs as I fixed my hair. We've defeated Easter over the summer break, which I was thankful for so the new semester wouldn't be ruined for me becasue them, but even before that, me and Utau were already friends. And who would've thought that Ami would be the cause of our friendship? Rima is presently staying in the states, and it's for good [[wwaaaahhh!!]]. I don't even think she's coming back for at least a vacation anymore.

**)(Normal POV)(**

"Amu-chan!! Breakfast's ready!!" yelled Amu's mom from the kitchen.

"Coming!!"

She touched the back of her head.

"Ow!.....still hurts"

She walked in the kitchen and was immediately greeted by her mom.

"Ohayo, Amu-chan!!" she exclaimed happily.

"Ah? Ohayo-gosaimas." Amu replied with an unmotivated face, and took a seat as her mom laid down a bowl of cereal on the counter in front of her.

"Are you excited about school yet, Amu-chan?" she asked as Amu swallowed a spoonful of cereal.

"Why would I be excited about that?"

Her mom crossed her arms as a smirk quickly formed on her face.

"Of course. I mean, as if you, of all people would be excited about something like school, right? People like you would be much happier just emoing in their rooms."

She got a vein on her forehead and made some milk spill as she just tried to ignore what her mom just said. She swallowed another spoonful and quickly got up.

"I'll be leaving now."

She slung her bag over her shoulder & exited the kitchen. Her mother stared at her until she left the house. As soon as Amu was out, she let out a sigh and continued walking.

**)(Amu POV)(**

I sighed again as I walked down the sidewalk. I closed my eyes for a while then opened them up again.

'The truth is, I am a actually excited a bit about school. I mean, I get to see most of my friends again, & catch up on what's happening...'

I moaned.

'...but that aside, school seems really--plain--and just dead boring.' I thought then continued walking along.

**)(Ikuto POV)(**

I woke up to yell of a little cat. "Nyaa, Ikuto!...GET UP!! It's the first day of the new semester!! Nyaa?"

I rubbed the sleep form my eyes and moaned.

"What time is it, Yoru?"

"Mmm--7:30."

"Why'd you wake me up this early in the morning?" I asked as I sat up.

"--early?..." my chara said with a straight face.

I sighed and rubbed his head.

"never mind..."

I turned to face the other side of my room, hands behind my head.

"Mmm--wonder what Amu's doing right now..." I asked myself as I looked up at ceiling.

I quickly shook the thought away.

"...Wait...why am I thinking of Amu so suddenly--and so early in the morning too."

I placed a hand behind my head and moaned.

"--Oh well, gotta get going."

**)(Amu POV)(**

'...I'm finally in middle school...' I thought to myself as I stood in front of the school gate. Other students passed by me while laughing and giggling over some new boy band or something. I stared at a group of girls as they enter the school.

'Hmm--wonder how this semester will turn out for me.'

Suddenly, I felt a playful hand on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Kukai, and I had no idea why, but a smile was suddenly plastered on my face.

"Yo, Hinamori!..." he said with a smile.

"--long time no see!"

I laughed nervously.

"yeah, guess so..." I replied.

"So, whatsup?" I asked him as we entered the school together.

"Mmm?nothing much, just planning on joining both soccer and basketball teams this year too." He said as he gave out a little laugh and rubbed the back of his head.

"hmm--no surprise there."

he let out a loud guffaw before he replied back.

"...oh sure. and how about you?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Me? Oh, nothing much...you know me."

"Haha! well, that's true."

We kept talking about what happened over the summer break, that we didn't even notice that we were already in front of my class.

"Oh! We're already here." I said.

Kukai looked at the door and rubbed the back of his head while he started to laugh.

"--guess after all that talking, we didn't even notice we were walking down the hallway."

He stopped laughing, but there was still a smile on his face.

"Well, see ya', Hinamori!" he said as he rubbed my hair and messed it up in the process.

"K-Kukai! My hair!"

He just smiled again and took off.

I stared at him until he turned a corner, then sighed and arranged my hair. I entered the class and was relieved that class wasn't starting yet. I walked across the classroom and noticed most of the other students staring at me. okay, well, actually all of them--but still. I tried to ignore them and keep my 'Cool & Spicy' character up. And I'd like to say that I did a great job ignoring them, because I also seemed to have ignored Tadase-kun. As soon as I reached my desk, I placed my bag on top of it and took a seat. I looked out of the window with my chin resting on the palm of my hand.

'Hmm...wonder why I always get the seats near the window. Ah well, at least I have something to look at while spacing out.'

As i stared out the window, I also felt stares coming from behind me. Multiple of it.

'Dammit! Are they still staring!? Didn't they ever see a girl look out the window before!?'

Everyone finally took their eyes off me when sensei came in as the bell rang.

"Alright class, settle down." He said while signaling everyone to face forward.

'Saved by the sensei...' I thought as I sighed and faced forward.

He had black hair which was in a neat do, and was in a black suit. He looked about--oh, I don't know--somewhere around his twenties. He looked good actually. Everyone seemed happy that he was our sensei. I'm guessing that it isn't only because of his looks, because the boys seemed glad too.

'Is he really THAT great of a sensei?' I asked myself.

While wondering about that, I heard a noise coming from the back of the class. I turned around a bit with an uninterested face to match my character. Pencils, notes, and text books were scattered all over the floor. I looked up at the guy who dropped it. He was leaning on the floor and smiling with his eyes closed while rubbing the back of his head. He had messy brown hair, and I mean the really good kind of messy.

He laughed nervously as he noticed that everyone's attention was now on him.

"Sorry, I accidentally knocked my bag down."

Sensei sighed with a smile and walked over to where the guy was. He opened his eyes and I noticed it was of different colors. His left eye was a clear sky blue, while the other was green.

'Foreigner I guess.' i thought

"No problem, Calem-kun." sensei suddenly said, interrupting my thoughts.

'Hmm, so his name's Calem? Definitely a foreigner.'

once sensei helped him with his things, i noticed Calem take a quick glance at me, and I felt a blush start to tingle up on my cheek. I immediately faced forward and crossed my arms in a stubborn way. I heard him give off a little laugh from behind me, making a vein popped up on my forehead.

"Ah! Before I forget, class--" said sensei as soon a si heard them get up form the floor.

I looked back, still with an uninterested face on.

"--This is Calem Spencer, a foreigner from the states whose family suddenly moved here for some urgent business. He's fluent with Japanese, so i expect him to get along with everyone quite well."

Sensei looked at Calem.

"Hey, I hope to get along with everyone here and to be under your care. I am looking forward to spending this semester with you all." He said as he bowed down.

'whoa--formal alert.'

I raised an eyebrow when I noticed his eyebrow twitching with an annoyed look.  
I couldn't help but give off a little laugh, eyebrow still raised.

"--Well, that's it for his introduction." Said sensei as he patted Calem on the back and walked to the front of the class.

Calem got up and took a seat again as he sighed. I just stared at him for a while then faced forward as soon as I heard sensei take his seat.

Without even noticing it, school was over. I sighed as I walked down the hallway, which felt like the millionth time.

'Finally, school's over. Hmm--Middle school's not that much different from elementary. Sure, the subjects are a little more--difficult. Most of the information I've gathered today hasn't even sunk in yet. And there are teachers that I've never seen before here too. But that aside, this place is sort of like eleme--'

I was instantly snapped back into reality when I accidentally bumped someone from behind--and fell flat on my bum.

"A-ah, gomen ne. I wasn't paying attention on where I was goin-?"

And I was cut off once again, when I saw Calem's smiling face just a few inches from mine, causing me to instantly blush a few shades of red.

"Hmm?you're real cute up close, you know?" he said and smiled at the last letter.

I felt my face blush ten fold as he offered me his hand and my eyebrow started twitching.

"W-What the-!? What's with you?! suddenly putting your face that close tom mine!" i yelled out.

"Haha! you're pretty slow on catching up, arent you?" he teased while wearing a smirk.

a vein popped up on my cheek as i stared up at him and got myself up.

"tch. Whatever."

**)(Later)(**

Calem & I walked out of the school together--without me even wanting his company. He just followed me out and walked beside me.

"Hmm--let me guess, you're the famous, Amu Hinamori, known for being the one and only 'Cool & Spicy' girl of this school." he suddenly said.

I looked at him with a confused look.

"how'd you know that? Aren't you just new here? Geez, you sound just like a professor or something?"

I gave out a little laugh in the middle of my sentence.

"--especially the way you introduced yourself back at class."

He looked down a bit and I could clearly see the vein on his forehead.

"Hey, I wanted to have a good 1st impression, okay?--and, I've heard a lot about you in class while you still weren't there. Everyone was hoping that you would be assigned to our class. You should have seen how desperate they were."

He started laughing.

"I still can't believe how shocked they were when you entered the classroom!"

I just smiled at him as he stared at me. He suddenly put his face a few millimeters from mine. My eyes widened and I started to blush, hard.

"--but then, how couldn't they? Especially with a cute face like that."

My face turned a few more shades of red, causing him to smirk. He suddenly burst out laughing while he pulled his face away.

"--Just kidding."

My face was still blushing, but you could see how annoyed I was.

"--Jerk."

"--delinquent."

a vein popped up on my cheek as i just stared at him laugh. I quickly faced sideways and crossed my arms so he couldn't see how pissed off i was. I'll just save that face for when he's not quite such a "new student" anymore.

"Hinamori-san!!" someone suddenly yelled from behind me.

I turned around and saw Tadase-kun and Kukai running towards me. Kukai quickly stopped in front of me, Tadase-kun following, panting as soon as he stopped.

"Hey--Hinamori-san?" He said, gasping for breath between each word.

"--Watsup?" Kukai asked with a big grin.

"Hey, guys. nothing much going on here--how 'bout with you?"

"Same."

"Hey, are you alright? You don't look so good." I said as I placed my hand on Tadase's back.

"--Well, see ya,--Amu." Calem said from behind me.

He turned around with one hand in the air, and the other in his pocket, and walked along.

"A-Ah, sure. later." I replied

I stared at him until he exited the gate, & sighed as I looked back at Tadase-kun.

"Your boyfriend, Hinamori-san?" he asked.

"W-What? Of course not! We just met." I said as I looked the other way, feeling a light blush tickle up on my face.

He just stared at me, a curious look on his face, when Kukai suddenly squeezed in between the both of us, and swung his arms around mine and Tadase-kun's necks.

"C'mon, we better get going!" he said as he dragged the both of us towards the gate.

"S-Souma-kun!!" Tadase yelled, struggling.

While all that was happening, I was wondering why Calem reminded me so much about someone. I just couldn't put my finger on it.

**- EnD oF chApiE!!! -**


	2. Chapter 2

**- Chapie # 2! –**

**  
**  
)(Normal POV)(

"Ow, ow, ow!" Amu said as she rubbed her head.

"WAH! I hate this damn bed!" she yelled.

"Amu-chan, you really shouldn't blame the poor bed…" said Suu.

"Yeah, that was your fault anyway…you're too careless." Said Miki.

Amu was about to yell something to her charas, when she heard laughing coming from her balcony. She turned her head towards the balcony.

"I-IKUTO?!"

"Yo!..."

"What are you doing here, you perverted cat?!" Amu yelled while pointing at Ikuto, and still sitting on the floor.

"What? Is that all you got to say to me?" and

He smirked and jumped off of her balcony and into her room. He landed a few inches in front of her, and walked slowly towards her. Amu backed up until her back reached the side of her bed. He moved his face only a few millimeters in front of hers, causing her to blush.

"Geez, sometimes you can be so cold, Amu."

He had that smirk again which sent chills down her spine.

"We haven't seen each other in a while, and the first thing you do is call me names…"

Amu could feel his warm breath on her face, and she blushed ten fold. Ikuto's smirk grew wider.

"Hmm? You're blushing, what are you thinking about, perverted kid?"

"S-Shut up! I'm not perverted! Nor a kid!"

"Hmm…I see, I guess that's true. It looks like you developed a bit."

Her eyes widened and her blushing became uncontrollable.

"S-Shut up, you pervert!!"

Ikuto's smirk suddenly faded away as he sighed, took a few steps back and closed his eyes.

"Hmm…seems like you enjoyed flirting with that foreigner yesterday…"

Amu was now as red as a tomato.

"W-What?! I honestly have NO idea what you're talking about." She said as she faced sideways and crossed her  
arms.

Ikuto grimaced, but it was hardly obvious. Instead, it was obvious that Amu was lying. Ikuto sighed.

"Well, Whatever…"

Amu's eyes grew wide with shock when Ikuto suddenly placed his fingers under her chin and brought her face up to his. All she could do was just stare at him.

"I-Ikuto?..." she said.

"…Just make sure you don't go beyond the lines of flirting…coz that area is reserved for me…" he said as a smirk quickly appeared on his face.

Amu gained a few more shades of red, then lowered her head a bit.

"P-Pervert…"

Ikuto's smirk grew wider as he gave her a peck on the forehead. Amu looked up and just stared at him, the shocked expression still on her face. then Ikuto moved in closer to her right ear, and Amu closed her eyes tightly.

"Nice gown…I can see right through…"

Amu suddenly opened up her eyes and Ikuto jumped back with the reflexes of a cat.

"Hmm…pink bra today, I see…"

Amu blushed ten fold as she looked down to her night gown.

-PANG-

She wasn't IN a gown. She was just in her usual yellow and red checkered pj's. She heard Ikuto give out a snicker in front of her, as a vein popped up on her forehead.

"YOU PERVERTED LIAR!!" She yelled after him as he jumped out of her balcony.

Amu was still sitting on the floor, and her eyebrows clearly showed that she was still pissed off. Then she slowly borught 2 finger up and placed it on the spot on her forehead where Ikuto had kissed her. then for some reason, she suddenly calmed down a bit.

'Ikuto…'

)(At School…)(

Amu buried her face in her arms on the desk, as she sighed quietly. She was thinking about what Ikuto had said. The words 'we haven't seen each other in a while' kept ringing in her head--and she knew exactly why.

She started to have this feeling toward him since she was in the 6th grade. Every time he appeared, her heart always starts to skip a beat. Her face instantly goes red and her stomach starts to do twists and turns. At first, she thought it was because of how much he pissed her off, but soon she found out--hard. She hadn't seen Ikuto in 3 months, and in those 3 months, she felt real lonely…not even her friends could cheer her up. She always thought that something was missing. She never guessed that that something was Ikuto. Suddenly, her mama's words started to pop up in her head. _'You never know when you are truly in love with something, unless you are separated from it.'_ She kept thinking of those words until Ikuto suddenly popped up in her head. As much as she hated to admit it, she had feelings for him, the perverted, teasing, alley cat, whom was once her enemy, not to mention the guy whose sibling had a serious case of brother complex. When Ikuto came back, Amu learned he was on search for his father. Amu could understand how important it was to him, so she couldn't blame him. But for some reason…she just couldn't forgive him. She couldn't admit that she had feelings for him, and she couldn't accept it. She decided that she would avoid him before she does anything that could affect her reputation, and hope that her feelings for him would just fade away. She sighed at the thought.

'I haven't succeeded at that part yet though…'

- PANG –

'how did Ikuto know that I was flirt- cough "talking" with Calem?! Dammit!! He was spying on me!!'

She was almost pulling her hair out, with her face laying flat on the table.

"I….KU…..TO!..." she mumbled angrily.

'WAH!! I'm so dense!!' she scolded herself.

"Yo, Hinamori!" suddenly came a voice from beside her, snapping her out of dreamland.

"H-Huh?" she stuttered as she jerked her head up and looked around her.

She sat up straight and found Calem to her right.

"Oh, hey…" she said as an unsure smile appeared on her face.

"Hey, what's wrong with you? You've been spacing a lot lately…"

"Really? Oh, gomen." she said, then lowered her head.

He grabbed a chair and took a seat, with the chair facing the opposite direction. He placed his arms on top of the  
chair and rest his chin on top.

"No prob…"

Amu was still looking down while he was just staring at her.

"Hey…"

Amu looked up at him.

"…If you have a problem, you can always talk to me about it."

Amu was a bit surprised at what he said

'Why does that sound familiar?'

"E-Eto--Thanks, but…I don't think you can help with this one." He said as she forced on a weak smile on her face.

Calem just silently stared at her.

"…Boy…"

"Huh?"

"It's about a boy, isn't it?"

Amu suddenly jerked up and placed her arms in a defensive position, sweat drops appearing everywhere.

"H-How the hell did you know?!"

Calem just smiled.

"I can read you like a book, Amu-chan…"

Amu slightly blushed.

"A-Amu-chan??..."

Calem looked at her.

"Hm? Oh, I just thought of saying it." He said as he started to laugh.

"…sorry if it sounds disturbing." He smiled.

)(After School)(

"Waahhh!! I'm late!!" yelled a worried Amu as she packed her things.

Calem, Tadase, & Kukai all stared at her with sweat drops on their heads.

"Late for what, Hinamori-san?" asked Tadase.

Amu looked up at the 3 guys.

"Oh, right! I got a job at a café just a few blocks from here. You guys should come over once you get the chance to."

She said with a smile.

"Sure!" they all said in a chorus.

Amu flashed them all a smile, then left. They all just stared at the door for a while after her exit.

"Shall we get going, gentlemen? i beleive we are all free for the day..." Kukai asked after a few seconds of silence and stares.

"You know it!" replied the other 2.

)(At the Café)(

Amu was just finished being scolded by her boss for being late. She sighed and walked into the changing room to get into her uniform. Soon, he exited the room and stood beside the entrance, ready to greet the customers. She was closing her eyes the whole time while waiting for customers. Soon enough, she heard a chime, meaning a customer just entered. She sighed and quickly greeted the customer with a smile and her eyes still closed.

" Hello, welcome to the café latte. Please allow me to escort you to your sea-.."

She was cut off when she saw Calem, Kukai, and Tadase standing at the entrance as soon as she opened up her eyes.

"A-Ah! Hey guys!.." she stuttered.

She noticed a blush creep up on their cheeks. She was confused at first, then followed their gazes to her uniform,  
and she gave out a little 'eep!'.

Her uniform was something like a maid's, with a mini ruffle skirt, a black tube top, with a white ruffle running down  
the middle, Fishnet leggings reaching half of her thigh, and a pair of black pumps.

Then she quickly covered her chest with the metal tray that she was carrying, and lowered her head when she  
noticed her face starting to burn up. Kukai suddenly let out a cough.

"S-Sorry, Hinamori…it just sort of…caught us by surprise." He said while still lightly blushing and looking away.

"N-No problem. Usually happens…"

"W-WHAT?!" they all yelled in chorus.

Amu was surprised and sweat drops quickly appeared behind her head. She waved her arms frantically in front of  
her.

"U-Uh, nevermind!!..." she said while laughing nervously.

"A-Anyway, let me escort you guys to your seats."

As they were walking to the other side of the café, all male customers were gazing at Amu, and all females at the 2  
cute guys, and Tadase behind her.

"So, what will you guys be ordering?" Amu asked them like regular customers as son as they reached their seats

They all scanned the menus in front of them, and stopped as soon as they spotted the only thing that appealed to  
them.

"Strawberry cheesecake!" they all chorused with huge smiles on their faces.

Amu just sweat dropped.

"Um…coming right up, then…"

)(A few min. l8er!)(

Amu came back with a metal tray, carrying the 3 strawberry cheesecakes. She placed the caked in front of the guys,  
then hugged the tray to her chest.

"Enjoy!" she said while wearing her cutest face possible (Yes, it's a part of her job.)

The 3 guys blushed lightly, then looked down on the cakes in front of them. Amu didn't notice their blushes at all and  
just stared at them.

"Hmm? You don't like the cake?"

"N-No, it's not like that!" they all said and waved their hands in front of them.

"mmm…that's good. Otherwise, that would've been just a waste." She said with a smile.

They stared at the cake again, then started digging in.

"mmm…this is good…" complimented Kukai after a few seconds of silent chewing.

"mmm…sure are!" said Calem.

Tadase just nodded, because his mouth was full of cake. Amu let out a little giggle.

"Well, I'm glad you liked it."

Amu raised her eyebrows when she saw how quickly Kukai was eating his slice.

"Oh! Kukai, you got some frosting near your mouth."

"Hm?"

He placed 2 fingers near the corner of his lips, and felt a little smudge.

"Hmm? I do?…"

Amu let out another giggle.

"here, let me get that for you…"

She bent closer and wiped the frosting near the corner of his lips with her thumb. Kukai felt a blush creep up on his  
cheeks again while staring at Amu. While that was happening, Calem secretly wiped some frosting on his lips, and  
let out a cough. Amu looked at him and chuckled.

"Calem…" she said while chuckling.

She took some napkins and wiped his lips.

"Aww…you're not gonna wipe it with your thumb?"

She giggled again.

"What are you, some pervert?"

Calem put on a weak smirk.

"mmm….maybe…" he said weakly.

'So, is the pay here good, Hinamori-san?" Tadase asked.

Amu looked at Tadase.

"Yeah, I guess so. Well, it has to be, for making me wear this-…" she said and pointed at her uniform.

"Actually, you look cute in it, Hinamori!" said Kukai while wearing a big grin on his face.

Amu blushed at the comment and faced the other way.

"T-Thanks…"

Suddenly, Amu heard a chime again and immediately faced forward. She saw a cute, short, blonde-haired girl  
standing in the entrance. The girl caught sight of Amu and the 2 just stared at each other.

"Rima?..."

**- End of Chapie! –**


	3. Chapter 3

**- Chapie # 3! –  
**

)(Amu POV)(

"Rima?..."

I couldn't believe it. I thought Rima had gone to the states and wouldn't come back. A smile quickly plastered itself on my face. I was just so happy to see her again, and unconsciously, I ran towards her. I felt my skirt flapping up, and I heard boys behind me gasp and even fell on the floor, maybe even heard a few 'waahh's'.

"O-Oi!! What are you perverts looking at?!?" Kukai asked the other male customers, annoyed.

But I didn't care though. I hugged Rima as soon as I was close enough. I couldn't see her face, but I could tell she was smiling.

"Amu…" Rima said as she hugged me back.

I let go of her and took a step back with a huge smile on my face.

"Rima…."

She quickly smiled at me, but then an unsure expression formed on her face.

"uh….what are you doing here, Amu-chan? ….and….dressed like that too." she asked as she pointed at the uniform.

I just blushed.

"U-Uh, well…I had so much time on my hands, that I didn't know what to do with it, so I got a job here. It's a great way to pass time, plus I can even earn some cash. I don't really mind the mini-form though…"

"Mini-form, huh?"

I laughed nervously.

"Don't you think the name matches it?" I joked.

Rima gave out a short laugh.

"…yeah, I guess so."

"So, anyway…what are you doing here? I thought you were going to permanently stay at the US." I asked.

There was a short pause before Rima suddenly let out a sigh.

"Alright…you have 3 options. 1, I forced my parents to make me come back here. 2, we had no money so we couldn't go. 3, my parents had urgent business to attend to so we had to come back here."

"Um…# 3?"

"Bzzztt!! Wrong."

"…# 1?"

"Bzzztt!! Wrong again."

"Okay, so it HAS to be # 2."

"Bzzztt! AND you're wrong."

"W-What?!"

Rima started giggling.

"Oops, forgot…there was a 4th option."

"What's that?"

She hesitated for a bit before she replied.

"--We were only going for a vacation--and you misheard."

Everything went silent, except for the cricket chirps. I suddenly hung my head and arms down, glumly.

"I-I…M-Misheard…"

Rima sweat dropped and shakily placed a hand on my back.

"H-Hey, Amu, it's okay…"

I stayed in position for a couple of seconds, then suddenly jerked my head back up.

"Now then, ma'am, may I take your order?"

Rima sweat dropped.

'Well, that certainly was a fast recovery…' she thought.

She sighed, and I escorted her to sit beside Calem. In the background, the other male customers were shooting glares at Calem, Kukai, & Tadase-kun, mumbling stuff like, 'How come those guys get the cute girls?' but they were cut-off when Amu started visiting their tables and asked for their orders. They instantly started ordering while stuttering with hearts on their eyes, while Kukai & co. sighed and sweat dropped.

"Amu is real popular here, isn't she?" asked Rima.

"Yeah, that's exactly what pisses me off so much...." said Kukai annoyed, while biting his thumbnail.

"…I wonder why though…" he continued.

Calem sighed and faced Rima.

"So, you're Mashiro Rima. Amu's 2nd best friend, next to the girl--I mean guy--Nagehiko, right?" he asked her.

Rima just stared at him with a straight face.

"Who are you and how do you know this stuff?"

He just smiled.

"I heard a lot about you guys--the ex-guardians. And I'm a new transfer student, Calem Spencer. Nice to meet you!" he said with a huge grin, and eyes closed.

"Nice to meet you too…I guess." replied Rima, an unsure look on her face.

"…But the only one I don't know much about…" he said as he opened his eyes again and faced forward.

"…is you!" he continued as he pointed at Tadase.

'What is this? An FBI case?' Kukai thought as he sweat dropped.

"WHAT?! ME?! How come I'm the only one you don't know about, when you sound just like a human encyclopedia with Mashiro-san and Hinamori-san?!..." he asked as a disappointed expression appeared on his face.

"…besides…I was popular before too…" he continued.

Calem yawned.

"Well, basically, because most of the information about you were made-up by all of your—"fan girls", none of them were actually accurate…" he said as he placed an elbow on the table and his cheek on his hand, and closed his eyes.

"…The only true thing I DO know about you, is that you act like an evil dictator at the word, prin-…"

He was cut off when Kukai suddenly placed a hand over his mouth.

"S-Shut up!!" he said, panicked, with sweat drops behind his head.

He stretched himself all the way across the table just to cover up Calem's mouth.

-POING!-

"MWAHAHAHAH!! I AM NO MERE PRINCE!! I AM KING!!MWAHAHAHAH!!" Tadase yelled as he stood on the chair and placed one foot on the table, while laughing maniacally.

"Great, NOW look at what you've done." Kukai whisper shouted at Calem.

Calem removed Kukai's hand from his mouth.

"Whoops, sorry. Slipped." He said as he laughed nervously.

Rima stood on the table beside Tadase after grabbing a mob bucket from the corner & placed it on Tadase's head.

"1…2…3…"

As soon as she took off the bucket, Tadase was back to normal, and a confused expression on his face.

"ta-da!" she yelled.

Everyone started applauding--though they weren't quite so sure why.

Rima and Tadase took a seat again as Tadase sighed.

"Arigatou, Mashiro-san."

"No problem."

Meanwhile, Amu was placing drinks on the other customer's table as she sighed in her head.

'I knew this would happen sometime…so I placed that bucket there for that very reason…I'm not very sure if I already used that bucket to mop though…'

"Ugh…What was that about? He was obviously enjoying the change." said Kiseki as he popped up from behind Tadase.

Everyone was shocked when they heard Calem suddenly fall to the floor.

"Wha-What's that supposed to be?!?!" he asked while pointing at Kiseki, a frightened look on his face.

All of them stared at him.

"You can see Kiseki?" asked Tadase.

"K-Kiseki?! What the, Y-Yeah, can't everyone see him?!"

They all looked at Kukai.

"Ugh….FINE! I'll tell him abut it…"

)(After d Boring details…)(

Calem face was flat on the table and his hands grabbing his hair from confusion.

"So…wait…" he said, lifting his face.

"…You guys…guardians…have those mini people called…cha…ras…& they are your 'would-be-selves'? And are also finding this special egg called the 'embryo' to grant your wishes?…sorta like a genie?"

"Mmm…yep! That's pretty much it..." Said Kukai.

"…thing is…how can YOU see it?" he continued.

Calem started to think back.

"well, I sorta had one of those eggs flying beside me back when I was sad about some family problems. And when my parents finally got divorced, I locked myself in my room, trashing everything…then I accidentally cracked that same egg." He explained.

Tadase sighed.

'Well, that explains as to why you're able to see our charas."

"But I'm guessing it'll come back. This is sorta like Nikaidou's problem anyway." Said Kukai.

"Who's Nikaidou?" Calem asked, blank expression on his face, like nothing can surprise him anymore.

"Oh, just someone who used to be an enemy in finding the embryo, but is now a sensei from elementary." He explained with his eyes closed in a calm way.

"So…all of you guys have charas too?" Calem asked everyone else.

"Yup! *giggle*" laughed Kusu-Kusu as she popped out from behind Rima.

"Yep!" said Daichi as he came out of his egg.

Calem just stared at the 2 with a straight face. Suddenly, he poked Daichi on the stomach, and Kusu-Kusu just let out a laugh.

"O-Oi! What do you think you're doing?!" asked Daichi.

"Are you guys even real?" asked Calem still with a straight face.

"O-Of course we're real!! You're poking me right now aren't you?!" yelled Daichi, annoyed, while Calem was still poking him repeatedly.

Kukai gave off a laugh.

"Amu! Could you come here for a sec?" he yelled as he faced Amu.

Amu just finished laying out food on another customer's table.

"A-Ah, sure!"

She excused herself, and walked over to their table.

"What's up?" she asked while hugging a tray.

"Do you mind showing Calem your charas?" he asked with a smile.

"W-What? He can see charas?!"

"Guess so…"

Amu's chara pack suddenly started shaking. [[she had that with her all along?]]

"W-Wha-?"

She tried to stop it from shaking as she placed both hands on top of it. It popped open and Ran, Suu, & Miki flew on top of Amu's head. Ran flew to the middle, Miki to the left, and Suu to the right.

"TA-DA!!" they all yelled and giggled.

Calem just stared, dumbfounded, then shook his head.

"wait, wait, wait…How come you have 3 of those mini-people, and everyone else only has 1?" he asked.

"Well, that's what makes her special." Tadase finally said.

Amu was confused, but she couldn't stop the blush from trickling up on her cheek.

She suddenly heard another chime, and faced the door to see who it was, while everyone was too busy in the conversation to even notice…

**- End of Chapie!! -**


	4. Chapter 4

**- Chapie # 4 –**

Amu heard another chime and faced the door to see who it was. A shocked expression quickly passed through her face as soon as she saw who it was.

"I-Ikuto?!" she yelled out

Ikuto wasn't even aware of the situation until he heard her yell out his name. When he laid his eyes on her,--

"Well, look who it is." He said as he put on a smirk.

Amu just turned a few more shades of red.

"Cute outfit."

"S-Shut up!"

All the other female customers laid their eyes on him, pink hearts suddenly formed in their eyes, and mouths hung wide open. Amu looked at all of them and sweat dropped.

"A-Anyway, you're here as a customer today, so…let me escort you to your seat." She said with an annoyed look.

Ikuto saw Tadase in the corner of the café with everyone else, with his back turned on him. Ikuto put on a smirk and took the seat behind Tadase. He sat facing Tadase and the chair facing the opposite way, then flicked the back of Tadase's head.

"Yo."

Tadase freaked and jumped out of his seat. He turned around to see Ikuto raising a hand.

"T-Tsukiyomi Ikuto!! What are you doing here?!" He yelled while pointing at him.

"What? Is it a crime to walk in a café? If so, what are you doing here?"

Tadase was furious. He was about to yell at him, but Amu cut in to avoid any more unnecessary attention--with a twitching eyebrow.

"Um…Tadase-kun, I understand that you have something against Ikuto, but please refrain from yelling in here."

Tadase stared at Amu.

"G-Gomenasai…" he stuttered as he took a seat again.

Ikuto's smirk grew wider.

"Hear that? Amu's on my side."

"I-Idiot! It's just my job!!" she stuttered as she hit his head with a tray.

"Hmm…not doing a real good job, huh? You're even yelling at a customer." He smirked as he brought a hand up to the back of his head

Amu took a step back and was as red as a tomato. She coughed.

"M-May I take your order then?..." she asked annoyed and facing the other way, holding a pen in one hand and a pad of paper in the other.

Ikuto just stared at Amu.

"Mmm…I'll have--"

And like a breath of wind, Amu was suddenly halfway lying down in Ikuto's arms.

"…you…" he continued in the cutest voice imaginable.

Amu blushed a few more shades, if possible.

"I-Ikuto! W-W-What do you think you're doing!?"

He smirk grew wider.

"You're blushing."

Everyone was staring at them, Boys and girls shooting daggers at the 2. Tadase, Kukai, and Calem were especially pissed, while Rima was just watching.

"N-no I'm not!!" she said as she covered half her face with the tray she was carrying.

"Hm?..."

He lowered the tray from her face and dropped it to the floor with a soft 'Clang'

"L-Let go of me, you old pervert!!" she yelled as she hit his chest.

"Hmm? Is that the hardest you can hit?" he asked teasingly.

"I-Ikuto! Let go of her!" yelled Tadase who was now as red as Amu.

Ikuto turned his head to face Tadase while still holding Amu in his arms. When he noticed how red Tadase was, he smirked grew wider.

"--Jealous much?"

Tadase took a step back and got even more pissed.

"Oh? You're that mad already?..." he said as his smirk got wider.

"…well…I know something that will make you the maddest you'll ever get."

Everyone's eyes grew wider as he finished the sentence.

"W-Wait, what are you-…" yelled Tadase.

Amu was blushing madly as she suddenly felt Ikuto's warm lips on hers. Her eyes were wide and shaking, but…she found herself not resisting. The whole café went dead silent.

As soon as Ikuto slowly separated his moist lips from hers, his bangs were covering his eyes. Their lips were still only millimeters apart. He was sort of breathing heavily, and Amu could feel his warm breath blowing on her lips.

"I-I-IKUTO!!!Y-YOU BASTARD!!" yelled Tadase.

Ikuto smirked, bangs still over his eyes, and holding Amu. He pulled Amu up gently to make her stand. When they were both up again, Ikuto looked at Amu for a few seconds, smirk still on his face, and turned his head to face Tadase.

"Well, see ya….Kiddy king."

He widened his smirk and walked towards the exit, with both hands in his pockets. As soon as he opened the door for a few millimeters, he stopped and turned his head to face Amu, then slowly wiped his bottom lip softly with his thumb and licked it.

"You have soft lips Amu." He said with a smirk and swiftly left the cafe.

Amu's knees were shaking as she silently stared at the door. Her hands grasping her arms and her lips slowly started trembling. All of a sudden, fell on her knees, and with a closed fist on her chest, started stuttering.

"I—I…"

Everyone just stared at her, still not taking in what they just saw.

"I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT, IKUTO!!!"

**- End of Chapie!! –**


	5. Chapter 5

**- Chapie # 5! –**

Amu got up unsteadily as Kukai rushed over and caught her as soon as she was about to fall over.

"A-Arigatou…" she said weakly, a grimace still on her face.

"--No prob." He said as he looked at her, a concerned look on his face.

Amu couldn't reply, and just kept her head lowered, her bangs over her eyes. As Kukai helped Amu up, he couldn't help but wonder.

'What's wrong with me? Why do I feel so pissed?...'

Kukai's eyes widened a bit as Amu lost her steadiness again and leaned on Kukai's side. He just watched her as she tried to get back up.

'That's right…I like her…' he thought after he had remembered, and helped her to her feet.

'—I always had…'

She stood up with a hand on her head and still wobbled a bit, while Kukai was just staring at her. Tadase and Calem came rushing over to her with worried looks on their faces.

"H-Hinamori-san! Are you okay?" Tadase asked.

Amu just stared at the exit.

"Dammit…that was my…first…kiss…" she said weakly as she placed a fist on her lips.

"R-really?!" He yelled.

Tadase faced forward at the exit as well.

"Damn that perverted cat…" he said weakly as he sighed and faced Amu again.

"I'm really sorry, Hinamori-san…"

Amu shook her head.

"No…it wasn't your fault, Tadase-kun." She said, a blank expression on her face.

Tadase blushed slightly and faced the other way. Amu's boss suddenly appeared between Tadase and Amu with her arms crossed.

"GYAAAHH!!" they both yelled as soon as they saw her.

"Don't look so surprised. I understand that my beauty has stunned you, but please…"

Amu and Tadase sweat dropped with straight faces.

"Um…no, it's not like that."

Amu's boss was a woman, somewhere in her thirties. Yet, she looked somewhat younger than that, but you could still see the bags under her eyes.

Her boss sighed and lowered her head.

"Why don't you guys go back to your seats now." She said to the 3 guys.

"H-Hai." They all said cooperatively and walked back to their seats.

Her boss faced the exit while standing beside Amu, arms still crossed.

"Amu…"

Amu sighed.

"I know, I know, I'm fired. I better go change out of this uniform no-…"

"What?! Are you kidding?! You're not fired!" she yelled as she unfolded her arms.

"Why will I fire you, baka?! Ever since you came, I've been receiving a tidal wave of male customers! It was one of the best choices of my life!!" she said as she laughed maniacally which reminded Amu of Saaya.

Then, her boss' smile slowly turned to a sly grin.

"Actually, I just wanted to ask you if you can convince your boyfriend to work here so that he can attract a ton of female customers as well!"

Amu just stared at her boss in disbelief with a straight face and sweat dropped. Her boss looked at her, grin still on her face.

"Of course, if you get him to work here, that hard work won't go unrewarded…."

Amu's eyes widened and stared at her as she leaned in closer towards Amu.

"…I was thinking of giving you a raise of you manage to convince him." Her boss said as she touched the tip of Amu's nose and walked away.

Amu stared at her boss until she entered a nearby room, humming happily to herself at her new discovery.

Amu just sighed and walked into the changing room to….change! no duh!

)(Later)(

Amu got out of the dressing room holding a big, brown paper bag in front of her, containing her uniform, as she sighed again. The 3 guys were still on their seats in the corner.

'Hm….Rima left already?'

I quickly put on a straight face.

'Geez, she could've at least said 'bye' before she left.'

"Yo, Hinamori!!..." Calem yelled with a huge smile on his face while waving a hand in the air, from the back of the café with Tadase and Kukai.

"…You going home now?"

"Mmm…yeah, my shift just ended!" she yelled back.

"Cool, let's go home together, my home's just a block from yours!"

"Eh?!" Tadase and Kukai said in surprise.

"How did you know where she lived?"

"Hey, I see her enter her house everyday when I get home." He smiled.

I just let out a little giggle.

"Sure. " I yelled back with a smile.

Calem got up form his seat and walked to my side with his hands in his pockets.

"See ya, Hinamori! Me and Tadase's just gonna stay here for a while!" waved Kukai.

"Goodbye, Hinamori-san!" said Tadase happily.

"Bye guys!" I yelled back.

"See ya." Followed Calem as we walked out of the café.

There was a short silence after we exited the café.

"You know, I noticed that…the way you act at the café…is totally different from how you act at school." He asked, still facing forward and walking.

I stared at him for a few seconds, and then faced forward.

"Well, the personality you saw me wearing at the café was…my real personality."

Calem raised his head and opened his mouth a bit. His hair covered his eyes though.

"The café is the only place where I can show it, because none of my so called 'fans' ever go there. It feels nice to use that personality once in a while. I thought it would be safe to show it to just you guys though." she continued.

Then there was a short silence.

"--It would be nice if you could use that personality at school though. I bet a lot more boys would like you."

Amu looked at him, half-surprised, and thought she noticed a faint blush--but ignored it though, and just smiled.

"Yeah, well…I tried doing that once when Rima was just new in our class. The boys just thought of it as weird though."

"--Then they thought wrong!" he said immediately after she finished her sentence, bangs still over his eyes.

She just stared at him with an even more surprised look, mouth slightly open as he faced her for a bit. Amu saw one of his eyes, and as soon as he noticed her staring at him, his eyes grew a wider and he looked back down, allowing his hair to cover his eyes again.

"S-Sorry, I'm in no position to say things like that."

She just stared at him for a while then let out a little giggle.

"That's okay."

Calem slightly blushed at the sight of her smile. He then put on a weak smile himself as they continued walking along.

)(Amu POV)(

We kept walking until we finally reached my house.

"Ah! Here we are." Said Calem

I was kinda disappointed our walk had to end though. I didn't really feel like going home yet.

"Well, see ya!" he said while he was still in front of me, smiling, and eyes closed with a hand in the air.

His smile reminded me of…Kukai…actually. Then he ran off, as I stared at him until he disappeared from view, then I just sighed as I walked into the house.

**- End of Chapie! –**


	6. Chapter 6

**- Chapie # 6! – **

**)(Amu POV)(**

I opened my eyes slowly as I was being nagged at by an annoying little blue chara. (Not that I don't like Miki, she's actually my fave!)

"Amu-chan, Amu-chan, get up!"

I shut my eyes more tightly and turned the other way, grabbing my blanket over my head.

"Mmm…5 more min."

**)(Normal POV)(**

Miki sighed in annoyance. She flew over to Amu's ear and took a deep breath.

"AMU-CHAN!!GET UP!!"

Amu gave out a yelp and fell on the floor.

"Ow, ow, ow…what was THAT for?! Just when I thought I was gonna wake up ON my bed, instead of BESIDE it!!" she yelled irritated while rubbing her head.

Miki laughed nervously while rubbing the back of her head.

"Gomen ne, Amu-chan. But if I didn't wake you up, you'd really be late."

**)(Amu POV)(**

I glanced at the clock.

"Gah!! You're right!!"

Miki sweat dropped as I rushed to the bathroom & quickly got dressed & rushed downstairs.

"Ohayo, Amu-chan!!" said mama with a huge smile.

"Ohayo." I said as I started to slow down to keep my character up.

"you woke up pretty late now, didn't you?"

"Guess so."

I grabbed a piece of toast from the counter and placed it in my mouth. I turned around coolly and slung my bag over my shoulder.

"I'll be leaving now." I mumbled while nibbling on my toast.

I walked towards the door and exited the house.

"Ran…"

"Hai!!"

I chara changed and took off. Miki suddenly popped up from behind me.

"Amu-chan, why did you have to fly there? Can't you just run?"

"Hey, I couldn't run there, if somebody saw me actually running and sweating, that would affect my reputation now, won't it?"

Miki put on her 'cool' look again, which sorta pissed me off.

"Mmm…really? Are you sure you aren't just lazy?"

"S-Shut up!" I yelled as a vein popped on my head.

I heard Suu giggling behind me.

"that's our Amu-chan!" she yelled happily as I sighed.

"but don't you think that if someone saw you LAND there, they would think of that as weird or whatever?" asked Miki.

"Tch, at least it'll be cooler, won't it?"

Miki just groaned as we landed behind the school. I glanced at my wrist watch.

'Hmm…still have 10 min. left before my first class, who knew I could fly THAT fast.'

So with completely nothing to do, I walked over to the royal garden.

'Okay, I know I'm not a guardian anymore, but I was still allowed in, so…what the hay.' I thought as I walked around.

"Hellooooo…anyone here?" I asked to no one on particular.

"Yo." I heard someone say.

But I knew it wasn't Kukai's. it sounded more…deeper. I looked around…no one.

"Oi! Where are you looking? I'm over here."

I followed the voice and looked up.

"I-Ikuto?!"

He was sitting on top of a tree, his mouth turned to a smirk.

"Why do you always stutter every time you say my name?" he asked as he jumped off the tree.

I puffed my cheeks.

"Well, I wouldn't do it if you would stop appearing out of nowhere." I said as I crossed my arms.

His smirk grew wider as he walked towards me.

"Ikuto?..." I said as I steppe back.

Soon enough, he cornered me to a wall. I faced to the side as he brought his face closer to mine's, so he wouldn't see much of how red I was.

"Hmm…you said you were gonna get me back at the café, right?"

I faced him again with my mouth slightly open, and eyes shaking, as he grinned.

"How exactly do you plan on doing that?"

I couldn't speak, nothing came out. I heard him snicker.

"Why not…"

He placed his fingers under my chin and brought my face up to his. All I could do was blush a few more shades.

"…kiss me back." He finished his sentence.

I just stared at him.

'Why…why couldn't I speak at a time like this?'

"Hinamori-san! Hinamori-san, are you here?" I heard a voice call form the entrance of the garden.

I knew in a flash it was Tadase-kun. Ikuto smirked again as he stepped back and shrugged.

"Well, see ya." He said before her jumped off.

All I did was stare after him. Soon enough, Tadase-kun found me and ran towards me.

"Ah, there you are, Hinamori-san. I thought you'd be here." He said with a smile on his face.

I was still staring off into the distance. Tadase-kun noticed and asked,

"Hinamori-san, what are you staring at?" he asked as he followed my gaze.

It was just a good thing that Ikuto wasn't there anymore. I finally noticed him and snapped out of my gaze.

"A-Ah, Tadase-kun! Ohayo!" I waved.

He looked at me.

"Ohayo, Hinamori-san…what were you gazing at a while ago?"

"A-Ah…"

I was waving my hands frantically in front of me, sweat drops everywhere.

"I-I was just staring at…the sky! Yeah…it always calms me down before class." I said while forcing on a smile.

'crap, the sky?! What a lame excuse!…' I thought as my eyebrows started twitching.

He just stared at me with wondering eyes for a moment.

"Well, there's no use calming yourself if you're gonna be late for class anyway, you know."

"Hmm?"

I glanced at my watch.

'7:59'

- silence –

"Holy crap! I've been here for that long already?!"

Tadase-kun sweat dropped.

"Oh, you've just noticed?"

**)(L8er at class)(**

The class rep. stood in front of the class.

"Right, as you all know…the cultural festival is coming up…"

Amu was staring out the window with a calm face, and her chin resting on the palm of her hand.

'Crap, I totally forgot…'

"…And it's a majority, our class will be doing a café." He continued.

The whole class suddenly burst into discussions and whispers. I just sighed.

'Not really a big deal 4 me…I mean, I ALREADY work at a real café.'

Then Ikuto suddenly popped up in my mind, as I also remembered the offer my boss offered me if I get to convince Ikuto.

'Gah! What's THAT doing there?! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!! Now's not the time to be thinking about that!!'

"Oh, I forgot to mention…"

I faced forward to see the class rep.

"this will be a COSTUME café, where obviously, you guys get to wear a costume while doing your jobs….so, you know….this time it won't be so plain."

Now the room was filled with 'wwaaahhh's'. A girl came through the door carrying a box full of costumes. She placed the box on the desk, and the class rep. took the costume on top of the pile and showed it to the class. Every girl started saying their 'waah's' and 'aaahhh's'. It was a cute female café costume (details l8er).

"These clothes were lent to us by the drama club, probably even given, since it doesn't seem like they'll be using it again. You won't BELIEVE how much costumes those guys have."

I stared at the costume and separated my hand from my chin.

'Waahh!! Kawaii!!...but…I can't wear it though…it totally doesn't my character…the color does though.'

"We will have a raffle to see who will get what costume, Because if you guys vote, you'll surely vote for yourselves for the best costume."

The whole class sighed.

"Ha! Too smart for you guys…why do you think I'm the class rep?"

Everyone shot him a glare.

"N-Never mind." He sweat dropped.

"So…who will be the first to draw?" he asked while scanning the room.

He immediately noticed me looking out the window with a bored expression.

"Ah! Hinamori-san!"

I looked at him slowly, uninterested.

"Hmm? What?"

"You will be the first to draw." He said with a smile.

I sighed as I got out of my seat and walked towards the front of the class, calmly, and hands on my hips. I got a piece of paper from the bowl.

'Anything but that costume, anything but that costume, anything but that………..costume……-sigh-.'

I sighed at the sight of what I got. Unfortunately enough, I got that costume.

'Wait…isn't this too much of a coincidence?'

I paused on my place.

'waahhh!! Of all costumes!! I got this 1!!'

Some other students behind me peeked at what was written on the paper. Their eyes widened as they let out short gasps.

'Geez, is it THAT surprising?'

I sighed again as I handed the piece of paper to the class rep. I could easily tell that he was surprised too. He handed the costume over to me and I slung it over my shoulder by the hanger. I walked over to my seat with my eyes in closed in annoyance, but I could feel stared directed at me. I sat back down and laid the costume on my desk.

**)(After class)(**

I was walking down the hallway with both costume and bag slung over my shoulder.

'Hmm…wonder what costume Tadase-kun got. I wasn't paying attention or…to put it in another more specific way…I was asleep.'

"Hinamori-san!!"

I turned around to see Tadase-kun running towards me and waving.

'Speak of the devil.' I thought as he stopped in front of me.

"I like the costume you got, Hinamori-san. I'm glad you got it." He said with a huge smile.

I sweat dropped.

'He's kidding, right?'

- PANG –

"Ah! Tadase-kun, what was the costume you got?"

He looked at me for a second.

"well, at first…I got a brown bear costume…"

'A first?'

"…but then, when you left, this girl asked me if we could switch costumes, since her costume was the male version of yours."

He showed his costume, which he was clutching onto this whole time (details l8er agen…)

'why didn't I notice that earlier?'

"Ah! Gotta go, Hinamori-san. Gotta get to the class earlier than everyone else, I gotta discuss something there. See ya!"

He ran to the opposite direction with a hand in the air. I just stared at his back for a few seconds, sighed, then continued walking in a slow pace, until I felt someone pat my shoulder from behind. I turned around and saw the class rep.

"Ah! Hinamori-san!"

"hey." I said coolly.

He stared at my costume for a while, then back at me.

"Don't like the costume, huh?"

"Is it that obvious?" I asked with a sarcastic tone.

"Well…-cough-. The person the arranged the raffle seems to be a big fan of yours, he may even have a little crush on you. Since he and everyone else know about your 'cool & spicy' personality, he knew that you'd pick the first the paper you could get your hands on, and not really care what you get, and he wanted to see you wearing that costume, so he placed the paper of your costume on the very top of the pile on purpose. Sorry about that."

- silence –

"-sigh-, am I really THAT easy to read?"

The class rep rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously.

"So…who is this guy?"

"W-Well, umm…I really can't say that."

I sighed.

"Oh well…"

I turned around and continued walking.

"…tell him, that's just fine. I don't really care anyway…" I continued with a hand raised in the air.

"…See ya." I said as I placed my hand on my hip.

After walking a few meters, I heard the class rep squeal.

"Cool & Spicy!!"

I sweat dropped and sighed as I walked along.

**- End of Chapie! –**


	7. Chapter 7

**- Chapie # 7 –**

I was walking home again, costume and bag slung over my shoulder.

"Wah! It's so boring!" complained Miki.

Ran flew beside Amu.

"Amu-chan, don't you want to at least fly home?"

"No way! What if somebody saw me flying around?"

"Hmm…good point."

I sweat dropped.

"You didn't even think about that?"

"Hinamori-san! Wait up!" someone yelled from behind me.

I just sighed.

"Hey, Tadase-kun." I said without turning my head.

"Oh, you knew it was me?" he asked with a smile as soon as he caught up.

I smiled. 2 arms suddenly grabbed me and Tadase-kun by the neck.

"Yo!" Kukai said with his usual big smile.

"Hey, Kukai."

"Hello, Souma-san."

He let go of both of us.

"What will you guys be doing for the cultural festival?" he asked.

"Well, we'll be doing a café for our class."

"A costume café…"

Kukai just smiled.

"Haha! That's nice. Our class will be doing a play."

"Really? What's your part in it?" I asked.

"Ah, well…I got voted to have the lead part as the prince again."

"Good to hear that."

"No, it's not. I hate it. That prince costume SO doesn't suit me."

I let out a little laugh.

"Oh, are those your costumes?" he asked as he asked as he pointed at the costumes we were holding on to.

"Well, yeah…"

I shrugged as I showed him my costume.

"Kawaii!! It would look better if you wore it though." Kukai smiled.

I blushed at the comment.

"I like your costume too, Hotori." He said as he faced Tadase-kun.

Tadase-kun gave Kukai a smile.

"Arigatou."

"I'll be looking forward to your café then. Can I come visit? I want to be able to see Hinamori in her costume."

I blushed a few more shades.

"S-Souma-kun!"

Tadase just laughed.

"Of course."

"We'll be going to your play too, then." I said.

"Um…I'd prefer it if you don't. I really don't want you to see me wearing my costume."

I smirked.

"You see me in my costume, I see you in yours."

Kukai sighed.

"Fine."

I let out a victorious smile. Kukai suddenly placed his hand on my head and started messing up my hair.

"Oi, wipe that smile off your face."

"H-Hai." I said as I tried to push his hand away.

Kukai gave us a big grin.

"Well, see ya!" he said as he removed his hand and ran off with a hand in the air.

"Geez…" I complained as I fixed my hair and watched him run off till he turned a corner.

I sighed and continued walking towards home.

"A-Ah! Hinamori-san!" Tadase-kun yelled as soon as he noticed I started walking again.

"Hinamori-san, what do you think happened to Calem?" he asked as soon as he caught up.

"Huh? What about him?" I asked as we continued walking.

He looked at me with a confused face.

"Surely you've noticed that he was absent."

"H-He was?" I asked nervously while still facing forward

"Yeah. The thing I had to talk about at class was about Calem's costume."

"Oh, really?" I said with a nervous look still on my face.

Tadase-kun sighed.

"…What am I going to do with you, Hinamori-san…" he said teasingly while shaking his head.

I started to laugh.

"Gomen, Gomen."

We both laughed.

- Pang –

"Oh yeah, Tadase-kun, what happened to Rima?"

"Hmm…oh yeah! She had to go home while you were changing because of her tutoring. Now you've surely noticed that she hasn't come to school too. Her parents hired a home tutor for her, instead of picking her up everyday, with their busy schedule and all."

"Y-Yeah,…sure did"

'Why didn't I notice that either?'

Tadase looked down with an expressionless face and there was a short silence.

We stopped walking

"Uh…Hinamori-san…"

"Huh?" I looked at him.

His hair was covering his eyes.

"You…speaking of the café…when…Ikuto kissed you…"

My eyes widened in surprise.

"…you…didn't resist…did you…"

There was a short silence. I just stared at him, still looking down with his blond locks reaching the sides of his lips. I tried to lighten the awkward moment and gave out a nervous laugh.

"Well…it's not like I didn't resist or anything…it's just that…"

My face slowly lost its smile and I lowered my head a little, hands resting on my sides.

"…Well…how do I put this…umm…"

I looked up at the sky with that look still on my face.

"When I was in the 6th grade, I realized that I had feelings for Ikuto. I realized that when he was gone for 2 months."

Tadase-kun raised his head a bit and mouth slightly opened, hair still covering his eyes.

"…and…when he kissed me…well…you know how it is when the person you have feelings for, suddenly kisses you…you just…don't have the urge to resist."

"Oh…I see."

I stared at him for a moment, still looking down. I gave out a nervous laugh, and waved my hands in front of me.

"but why are you asking me that so out of the blue? Eheheh…it's not like you…like me…or anything…right?" I asked as my face slowly became calm again.

He was still looking down.

"mmm…perhaps…" He said with an unmotivated voice.

I glanced at my watch.

"Ah! Gotta go, Tadase-kun!"

I Chara changed with Ran and flew up.

"See ya, Tadase-kun!" I said while smiling in mid-air with a hand raised, facing him.

He raised his head and looked at me with those ruby eyes, but this time, his eyes looked dull. No life at all.

'Geez Tadase-kun, what's gotten into you?'

I flashed him a smile and started to take off.

"Get home safe, Hinamori-san!"

I was surprised and looked back. He was looking at me wearing a weak smile as the sun started to set. Before I knew it, I was wearing a smile myself.

"…You too!" I said as I continued flying home.

--

'Hinamori-san…' Tadase thought as he stared at Amu as she flew off.

**- End of Chapie! – **


	8. Chapter 8

**- Chapie # 8! – **

I finally got home. I landed on the front porch, and undid the change. I sighed as I entered the house.

"AMU-CHII!!" Ami yelled as she jumped on me & we both fell on the floor.

"A-AMI?!"

"Waahhh!! Amu-chii!! Kawaii costume!! Can Ami try it on?"

"What Kawaii costume?" asked mama as she poked her head out of the kitchen.

She placed her hands on her cheeks and put on a surprised look.

"Waahhh!! Amu-chan!! What a kawaii costume!!" she said as she walked towards me.

I sweat dropped.

"Can you stop repeating that over and over?"

She put her hands on her knees and bent down to get on the same level as me.

"What's it for?"

I got up and fixed my uniform.

"It's for the cultural festival."

"Waahh!! Exciting!! …but…"

She placed her fingers under her chin in a thinking pose.

"…Who would've thought that MY Amu-chan would pick that kind of costume to wear at a cultural festival?" she asked with a smirk.

I got a vein on my forehead.

"M-Mama!!"

I faced sideways and crossed my arms.

"I-It's not that I wanted to wear it! I had no choice! This is the costume I was assigned to have." I said in my stubborn voice.

I heard her snicker and got another vein as my eyebrows started twitching.

"Whatever you say, Amu-chan!" she said as she turned around and walked back to the kitchen.

I stared at the kitchen door with veins still on my head. Then I sighed as I walked up the stairs. As soon as I got to my bedroom, I threw my bag and costume on the bed and plopped down beside it. I stared at the ceiling for a while.

"Amu-chan, what are you thinking about?" asked Miki as she flew beside me.

Ran started giggling.

"Or rather…WHO is she thinking about."

Another vein popped on my forehead.

"S-Shut up!!"

I sat up and sighed, trying to clam down. Ikuto suddenly popped up in my head.

'Waahh! What's that supposed to be? Why am I thinking of HIM?!' I thought as I started pulling my hair, sweat drops everywhere.

All my charas were watching me with sweat drops behind their heads.

"Amu-chan's gone crazy." Said Miki with a straight face.

Ran and Suu just nodded with their arms crossed.

**)(The next day…)(**

"Guys, we won't be having a costume rehearsal if any of you were wondering. We decided that it would be better if you guys surprise yourselves at the cultural festival." Said the class rep.

I just sighed while staring out the window.

"Yo, Hinamori!"

I managed to face my right, and saw Calem standing right beside me, hands in his pockets.

"Watsup?" he asked with a smile.

I just smiled back.

"Mmm…Nothing much. Just the cultural festival. Speaking of which, Why didn't you show up yesterday when we were picking out our costumes? Tadase-kun had to get it for you."

He laughed nervously while rubbing the back of his head.

"Gomen ne…I just had some problems back at home, so I couldn't come to school."

He looked back at me.

"Speaking of which, what IS my costume."

"Oh! Uh…well…"

I faced to the side and put on a straight face.

"Gomen…I forgot to ask Tadase-kun yesterday." I said as I lowered my head.

He started laughing.

"That's okay, Hinamori." He said as he placed his hand on my head.

The door slid open and Tadase-kun entered the room.

"Ah! Calem-kun!" He waved and walked towards us.

Calem removed his hand from my head and faced Tadase-kun.

"Hey, Tadase-kun." I greeted.

"Yo, Hotori."

He stopped in front of us and put on a smile.

"Ohayo-gosaimas. Ah! Calem-kun, here's your costume by the way." He said as he showed Calem the costume he was holding on to.

It was a white frilly prince costume, with a long red cape, and white fur at the end, complete with a prince's crown and staff. Me and Calem sweat dropped.

"Uh…Arigatou…Tadase-kun…" He said as he got the costume slowly.

"…Ah! by the way Tadase-kun, What's your costume?"

"Ah well, mines is the male's café uniform."

"Really? In that case, wanna switch?" Calem asked as he held the costume in front of Tadase.

Tadase just stared at the costume with a confused face.

"Hmm? Why?"

"Oh, I just thought that this costume would look better on you than me."

"Hmm…good point. Prince-type outfits aren't really your style."

Calem sweat dropped.

"Glad you see my point then."

"Sure. My costume didn't match me anyway." He said as they switched costumes.

-- --

Before I knew it, The cultural festival was already here.

"KYAAAA!!AMU-CHAN!!YOU'RE SO KAWAII!!" screamed 1 excited Yaya.

I laughed nervously as I rubbed the back of my head.

"…really? Arigatou."

My costume was sort of similar to my uniform at the café. A maid-style outfit with long, dark, loose, and see-through sleeves with red and black frills at the bottom. The sleeves were separated form the top and were strapped onto the top part of my arm. The black top covered right above my chest with red and black frills on top. The bottom half of my top was also dark and see-through, revealing my tummy. The top fit perfectly and exaggerated my curves. The black mini-skirt reached only half my thigh, and it also had red and black frills on the bottom. I also wore fishnet stockings, reaching all the way up to my knees, and black pumps. I also got my hair straightened and got side bangs. For the last touch, I tucked a big rose behind my ear, opposite the direction of my bangs.

"I like your costume too, Yaya."

She was wearing a white, feathery ballerina tutu, with sparkles, and her hair down.

She giggled.

"Arigatou, Amu-chan!" she smiled.

"Ah! well, gotta go back to my class…I'm still in elementary, remember? sob not to mention…THE LAST OF THE OLD GUARDIANS!!"

I sweat dropped.

"what about Kairi?"

"Hm? Oh yeah…him too. The other guardians are okey but….."

She started breaking into tears.

"H-Hai, hai….it's….okay.." I said nervously as I started to pat her back.

She suddenly jerked her face back up and wore a huge smile.

"Well, I only stopped by to visit and to see your costume. So, See ya!!" she said as she turned around and took off to her class with a hand in the air.

I sweat dropped again.

"THAT was a fast recovery…"

I sighed.

"Yo, Hinamori!"

I turned around and saw Kukai smiling and waving in his prince costume for his play, followed by Calem and Tadase-kun. The 3 soon stopped in front of me.

"Hey, guys!" I said with a smile.

They just stared at me for a couple of seconds.

"Waahh!! As predicted, Hinamori-san looks so Kawaii on her costume!" yelled Tadase with a big smile.

"You even straightened your hair, Amu? It looks good on you." Said Calem.

Kukai laughed.

"Sure does!"

"R-Really? Arigatou."

I stared at the guy's costumes.

Calem was wearing a short-sleeved, tucked-in, white, polo shirt, a pair of black pants, and a red and black checkered apron around his waist. I wore a big smile with a surprised look.

"Calem, you look real good!"

He lightly blushed at the comment.

"A-Arigatou."

"Kukai and Tadase-kun don't look so bad themselves!"

The 2 just smiled.

"Arigatou."

Kukai glanced at his watch.

"Ah! gotta go, I got rehearsals to go to before the play."

As he was about to turn around, he looked back at me with a weak smile.

"I'm glad I got to see you in your costume, Hinamori. You look really Kawaii."

After finishing his sentence, he turned around and took off with a hand in the air. I just watched him as face got hotter. Calem suddenly put his hand on my shoulder.

"Well, we better get to work, Hinamori." He said with a smile.

I looked at him and put on a smile myself.

"Hai!"

Then we walked to our class.

Tadase said with a bored and straight face -.-

"What about me?..."

**- End of Chapie! -**


	9. Chapter 9

**- Chapie # 9! –**

Me and Calem made our way to the classroom. As soon as we entered the door, all eyes were locked on us. We sweat dropped and stood perfectly still. Suddenly, the room was filled with 'waahhh's!' and 'kyaaaa's!'. Everyone got out of their seats and ran over to where Calem and I was with…are those HEARTS in their eyes?

"Waahhh! Hinamori-san looks so Kawaii!!" yelled a boy.

"Calem looks so hot!!" screamed some other girl.

They were practically tripping themselves over. We just laughed nervously.

"Really?…Arigatou…" me and Calem said with a smile.

The class grew even louder. No, it was BOISTEROUS!

"Waahhh! They just thanked us with a smile!! SO KAWAII!!"

Everyone was moving around and pushing themselves over just to get a view of us. Then, I heard the class rep's voice somewhere in the class, snickering.

"Hmm…I knew surprising everyone was a good idea." He said with a smirk.

I got a vein on my forehead as my eyebrow started twitching.

'You call THIS a good idea?!' I thought as I glared at him.

The class rep. sighed and clapped his hands together.

"Alright guys, back to work."

Slowly, the crowd started dispersing, but not without moaning and shooting glares at the class rep. I sighed.

"Finally…" I said in a low whisper.

Calem rubbed the back of his neck.

"Tell me about it…who knew I was THAT hot?"

I stared at him with an eyebrow raised and mouth slightly open.

"You? Hot?" I said teasingly.

He faced me with a smirk on his face.

"What? How can you not find me hot?"

"Tch. Don't get so full of yourself."

He brought his face closer to mine's and smirked again as soon as he saw me blush.

"Oh wait my bad. You're the one hot here. Look at that, you're face is all red."

I got another vein on my forehead. He stood up straight again and started laughing.

**)(L8er)(**

The class was FILLED with people. Calem and I were busy carrying trays around.

'What's with all the people? They just keep coming and coming! I'm exhausted…WHY ARE THERE ONLY 2 HELPERS HERE ANYWAY?!' I complained in my head as I brought some giggling girls their orders.

My back suddenly bumped into Calem's.

"Oh sorry, How you doing?" he asked.

"Terribly…I'm exhausted!!"

"Same here. Why are we the only one's doing this anyway?"

"I have NO idea."

Suddenly, I saw a flash of orange hair.

'Could it be? Do I still have some hope of surviving this day?'

I walked towards its direction calmly, and then spotted Kukai. I was so glad I almost jumped up on him. Kukai spotted me and smiled.

"Yo!"

"Souma-kun!! Hey, is it okay if I ask you to help me out here? If it's okay with you that is. There's just WAY too much people and NOT enough staff."

He smiled again.

"Sure! Why not? I still got some time before the play."

Unconsciously, I hugged Kukai.

"Waahhh! Arigatou! You're a life saver, Souma-kun!!"

**)(Normal POV)(**

It was just a good thing that everybody was busy with their discussions, snacks, and drinks, to notice anything.

Amu separated form Kukai with a smile, bowed down, and walked away to the customers, glad enough to not notice Kukai had been blushing the whole time.

**)(After some tym!)(**

The classroom wasn't so crowded anymore. Sure, there were still a lot of people, but not as much as a few minutes ago. I had some time to relax a bit, so I sat down in an empty table. I closed my eyes and sighed. I hadn't even noticed that Calem and Kukai were sitting in the same table until I opened my eyes again. Calem's face lay flat on the table due to exhaustion, while Kukai was leaning his back on the chair, neck bent backwards & facing up at the ceiling with his mouth wide open and eyes closed. Arms hanging over the chair and legs apart.

'Are they sleeping or something?'

I saw Kukai rub one eye and sit straight up while looking drowsy.

"Yo, I miss something?" he asked as he saw me.

I didn't answer and just stared at him.

"Souma-kun, are you okay?"

He stared at me.

"Yeah. Why?"

I lowered my head a bit.

"Sorry for asking you to do this, Kukai. Because of my selfish request, you're exhausted."

He placed a hand on my head.

"Hey, don't worry about it! That's what friends do, right?"

I looked up at him and he gave me a big smile. All I could do was smile back. He removed his hand from my head and placed it on the table.

"At least let me get you something to eat or drink before we head out to the play."

He let out a little chuckle.

"Nah! I'm fine."

"No, you're not! This is the least I could do for you."

Kukai was a little surprised by what I said at first, but his lips slowly formed a weak smile again.

"Well, if you put it that way…"

He faced forward again, leaned his back on the chair, and put his hands behind his neck, elbows up in a relaxed pose.

"…I'll have one chocolate parfait, one small vanilla milkshake, shook not stirred, and a bottle of water please."

I sweat dropped.

'Well, he IS exhausted." I thought as I smiled.

"Sure."

I came back with the order, and as soon as I placed it down on the table, Kukai started munching away. I sat back down and just watched him. I stared at how carefree he could be and smiled. Sometimes, I wished I was like him. Calem woke up.

"Huh? What happened?" he asked while rubbing one eye.

I gave out a little giggle.

"Oh, nothing much. Now, Wanna eat or drink something before we head out to Souma-kun's play?"

"Mmm…just water will do."

I smiled.

"Sure."

As soon as everyone was done, we headed over to where Kukai was going to perform.

"Well, good luck Souma-kun." Calem and I said.

Kukai flashed us a smile.

"Arigatou!" and he took off behind the stage.

Calem and I got seated as other students started coming in 1 by 1 until it was a full house. Soon enough, The curtains lifted, lights flashed on, and all eyes were locked on the stage.

**- End of Chapie! –**


	10. Chapter 10

**- Chapie # 10 -**

The curtains closed as everyone as everyone started clapping their hands. I put on a smile and clapped along.

**)(L8er)(**

Calem and I were waiting beside the stage for Kukai while watching everyone else leave the room, it took a couple of minutes for him to come out though. But as soon as he got out, we saw him wearing a simple white t-shirt, a pair of knee-high, jean-style shorts, and a big smile on his face. He was also carrying a brown paper bag, containing his costume, slung over his shoulder.

"Yo! I didn't really expect you guys to wait for me, you know…"

I just smiled.

"You were great up there, Souma-kun."

He closed his eyes and widened his smile.

"Heh, thanks!!" he said as he opened his eyes again.

"Well, c'mon!! they're gonna light the fire already!!"

I nodded and the 3 of us started walking out.

**)(Outside d skool!!)(**

We met up with Tadase-kun who was still in his prince costume. He was panting when we ran into him.

"Gomen…I could…only meet you now…girls were chasing me…around the school…all day!!" he said while grasping for breath between each word.

I just smiled.

"Heh, that's okay, Tadase-kun."

Soon, they started to light up the fire. Sparks ran up the tall pile of wood, as little flames slowly started appearing on it until it became huge and engulfed all of it. Sparks flew and danced around in the air & gave out a relaxing feeling under the dark starry sky. My eyes started to relax as I lowered my eyelids a little.

'Wow…it's beautiful…'

"IT'S LOVE CONFESSION TIME!!" someone yelled form the other side.

Boys and girls slowly started moving towards each other, as I saw a guy approach a girl in front of the flames.

"Waahh!! Kawaii!! He's confessing!!" I said weakly. Souma-kun seemed to notice it.

I stared at Souma-kun and noticed a bead of sweat slide down the side of his face.

'Hmm…poor Souma-kun…the heat must really be getting to him.'

My smile slowly faded away.

'Wait, what am I doing here? As if anyone will confess to me. And an even bigger as if you're going to see me confess to someone.'

I sighed.

"Hey guys, I…kinda forgot something back in class. Mind if I go get it?" I asked as I pointed at the school, and started to turn around.

Tadase-kun and Souma-kun quickly gave out a quick 'Uh!.." as they leaned in a little towards me with their arms slightly stretched out. I turned around a bit to face Kukai. I saw Calem just look at me with the corner of his eye while still facing towards the fire. Kukai quickly closed his mouth and stood up straight again as he gave out a quick cough.

"U-uh, sure…just make sure you come back here."

I stared at him for a few seconds.

"Hai."

Then I quickly turned around and ran towards the school. I could still feel their stares behind me. As soon as I was in the school, I closed the door behind me and leaned my back on it.

"What do I do now?" I sighed.

I bent my neck backwards to make my head touch the door and I heard sprks crackling form the outside.

"Hmmm…" I said with a clam look on my face.

I walked up a couple of stairs and opened the door to the roof. I shut I behind me and slowly made my way towards the rails on the side of the roof. I rested my arms and chin on it and looked down and saw boys and girls dance around the fire. I scanned the ground and noticed girls confessing to Souma-kun, Tadase-kun, and Calem. I gave out a little giggle for the guys. The girls were obviously rejected though, because they started crying after walking a few feet away from the 3 guys. They were just standing there with bored looks on their faces. I sighed as I walked towards the door of the roof and sat down beside it. I hugged my knees and sat there in that position for a few seconds and tried to relax, but couldn't as soon as I heard that voice again.

"Yo."

I jumped and gave out a little "eep!" as Ikuto stuck his head out from behind the wall, with that smirk of his again.

"I-Ikuto!! What are YOU doing here?!" I stuttered.

"Hmm…there you go again with the stuttering."

He walked towards me with his hands in his pockets. I just stared at him as he sat down beside me. I gave out another 'eep!' and tried to keep my distance. It didn't work very well though.

'Crap! What's he doing here?! Not good! These feelings will start reacting again!!'

I faced the other way and rested my cheek on my knee. I couldn't help but blush.

"What are you doing here?" he asked me.

I lifted my head and faced him. I stared at him for a few seconds and watched at how the moon's light reflected beautifully on his hair and face. he looked so calm like that. I faced forward and lowered my head.

"Well, what would I do there anyway? As if anyone would confess to someone like me."

He shrugged.

"How are you so sure about that? What about those 3 guys you always hang out with?"

I looked at him.

"What's with you? You seem more…helpful. You aren't gonna tease me or anything?"

He just continued facing forward. Not a shred of emotion to be seen on his face.

"I'm not that bad you know. There are also times when I can be serious too." He said as he faced me.

"Well, are you at least hoping that someone will confess to you?"

I lowered my head again.

"Well…um, sortof."

He smirked.

"really? By who?"

I faced him again.

"Why on earth will I tell you? And wipe that smirk off your face, will you? It's making me nervous."

His smirk grew wider as he brought his face closer to mines.

"really? Why is that? Just when I thought that you, of all people, would be used to it by now."

I started blushing a bright red color.

"B-Baka!!"

He started laughing.

"You really are worth teasing, Amu."

I puffed my cheeks.

"See? There you go again with the teasing."

"What? That's what you expected, right?"

I faced forward again and gave out a little huff. His smile slowly faded.

"you're hoping that that soccer freak or at least the kiddy king will confess to you, right?" he asked me as his bangs covered his eyes.

I looked at him.

"What's with you all of a sudden?"

He didn't say anything and just kept his head lowered. I sighed.

"Of course not, we're just friends."

He didn't say anything.

"Okay, what if I told you that someone was in love with you?" he asked as he raised his head again.

"What? In love with me?"

I gave out a little laugh.

"that's impossible. Who would be in love with someone like me?"

There was a short silence before Ikuto sighed.

"Listen carefully, because I'm only gonna say this once."

I stared at him, eyes widened a bit.

"Huh?"

There was a moment of silence again as he raised his head again and looked towards me. His dark blue eyes shining beautifully against the moon's light.

"I…I love…"

I just stared at him. I still didn't get what he was trying to say.

"I…love……chocolate."

I sweat dropped.

"Chocolate? Um…so…do…i?" I said while trying to find the right words.

Ikuto sighed and stood up with his hands in his pockets.

"Well…see ya later." He said with not a trail of emotion in his voice yet again.

He chara changed and jumped off somewhere as I sweat dropped again.

"What was that all about?"

**)(Normal POV)(**

Somewhere else, Ikuto was flying off as Yoru popped up form behind his shoulder.

"Nyaaa! Ikuto…what's with that??"

"be quiet, you get nervous once you have the opportunity. Besides, I wasn't even sure if she had the same feelings towards me."

Yoru looked at him with a straight face.--

"Um…actually, I was talking about you loving chocolate. I thought you loved milk more."

Ikuto sweat dropped.

"Oh…that's what you meant. Well, I like them both, how's that?"

Yoru put on a smile.

"Better!!" he said happily as both of them disappeared into the night sky.

**End of Chapie!! –**


	11. Chapter 11

**- Chapie # 11! –**

**)(Normal POV)(**

Kukai was sitting down on the ground in front of a wall, knees bent and arms resting on top of it.

'What's Hinamori doing? It's taking her forever.' He thought as he stared at the school building.

He scanned all the windows with a calm face, and his eyes widened when he noticed that there wasn't any light coming from the window of Amu's class. He faced forwards when he heard footsteps heading towards him. Tadase and Calem stopped in front of him.

"Souma-kun!" Tadase said with a worried look.

"yeah." Kukai said as he nodded.

He got up and ran with Tadase and Calem towards the building. After running a few feet, Kukai received a text message on his cell phone. He stopped then Tadase and Calem did too as Kukai picked up his cell from his pocket and flipped it open.

"It's from Hinamori." He said as Tadase and Calem peeked.

_Hey, Souma-kun. Just wanted to tell you that I'd be leaving now. Sorry that I couldn't make it back. I just thought that…no one would even bother confessing to me anyway. Gomen ne? say bye to Tadase-kun and Calem to me._

Right after he finished reading the message, he saw Amulet heart take off in the air from the roof, back faced at them. She took a quick glance behind her and turned around with a smile as soon as she noticed them. She raised 2 fingers in the air and winked a them before she continued flying off. The 3 of them just stared off into the sky. Kukai slowly formed a weak smile.

"Hinamori….baka….who said that no one would confess to you?"

**)(Amu POV)(**

I shrugged.

"Oh well…that Ikuto never made sense anyway…"

I walked towards the railings and leaned on it. I spotted Kukai sitting on the ground in front of a wall with a bored look on his face while Tadase-kun and Calem were standing straight with their hands in their pockets, spacing off in front of the fire while everybody else was dancing in the background.

'Geez. What's wrong with those guys? to think that them, of all people, would be bored with nothing to do on an occasion like this. Don't they have someone to confess to? If they do, why aren't they confessing yet? Maybe the girl they want to confess to isn't here. So the 3 girls they like are all absent? No way, that's too much of a coincidence. Maybe they all like the same girl.'

I gave out a weak smile.

'Wow, how lucky is that girl for those 3 guys to like her?"

I sighed and stood up straight.

'Well, since I have nothing else to do here…'

"Ran!"

She popped out of her egg.

"Hai, Amu-chan?" she said in her usual happy-go-lucky tune.

"Let's do a chara-nari."

"Hai!!" she yelled happily as she saluted.

I chara nari'd and turned around. I was about to take off when I realized something.

"Oh right, I told Souma-kun that I'd be back."

I sighed and picked up my cell, then typed in a message and clicked 'send'. I pocketed my cell and took off. While in the air, I took a quick glance behind me and saw Souma-kun, Tadase-kun, and Calem standing near the school building, Souma-kun holding his cell phone. I turned around and smiled at them with 2 fingers held up. Then I turned around again and flew off.

Soon, I was flying above the park.

'Hmm…I guess this'll be a good place to land. Not much people here in the night, and it's near home. My, how convenient.'

I softly landed on the grass and undid my chara nari.

"Arigatou, Ran."

"No problem, Amu-chan!!" she laughed.

She got back in her egg as I sighed and walked around the park a bit before heading home. I stared up at the sky. It looked beautiful with the moon shining it's bright white light.

'Waah, how relaxing to look at.' I thought.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard someone singing. Her voice was beautiful. It matched perfectly with the song. I looked around trying to find the person who was singing. I followed her voice to a big, green, grassy hill, then looked up and saw a beautiful blonde lady singing so peacefully. She looked real pretty with the moon shining on her features.

'Wow, the moon makes everything look pretty.'

"Wait a minute…" I squinted.

"…Utau?..."

As soon as she heard my voice, she stopped singing, opened her eyes, and looked at me. Her eyes widened a bit as she saw me.

"Amu?"

We stared at each other for a while.

"Amu-chii!!"

She quickly ran down the hill, and hugged me as soon as she was close enough. I just smiled.

"H-Hey, Utau…"

She pulled back and was wearing a big smile.

"Hey!! How's my Kawaii little amu-chan? Long time no see!!"

I got a vein on my forehead.

"H-Hey!! Don't call me little. I'm in middle-school now, you know." I stuttered.

Utau just laughed.

"But there's still a gap in our height, amu-chan."

I just crossed my arms in annoyance.

"A-Anyway, what are you doing here?" I thought I recognized your voice."

"I come here almost every night to practice my singing. What about you? Why are you here?"

"Ah! well, I was just taking a short stroll before heading home."

"if that's the case, wanna walk together?"

"Eh? But…don't you have to practice or something?"

Utau just put on a big smile.

"No, I was done, anyway."

I put on a weak smile.

"Sure."

After walking a few meters, Utau started the conversation.

"Hey, what did you get for Ikuto's birthday?"

I stared at her.

"Huh?"

She faced me.

"Surely you knew that Ikuto's birthday is tomorrow. I mean, since you like him and all, you should at least know when his birthday is, right?"

"yeah, I guess so, but-…"

- PANG –

"Did you just say I like Ikuto?"

She looked at me.

"yeah, you do, right?"

"H-How did you know that?! Are you psychic or something?!" I freaked.

Utau sweatdropped, then just laughed.

"You're just too easy to read, Amu-chan."

I blushed.

"A-Am not!!"

She just continued laughing.

"Amu-chan, you're losing your cool character!"

Sweatdrops were all around me as I freaked. Then I quickly crossed my arms in a stubborn way, trying to bring up my cool and spicy chara as a bead of sweat slid down the side of my face as she just continued laughing.

I slowly opened my eyes as I clamed down a bit, but you could still see some annoyance on my face. I suddenly got a flashback of what happened today with Ikuto. The words 'I love chocolate' rang in my head.

'Hmm…maybe he said that because he just wanted me to get him something for his birthday.'

"But Ikuto never remembers his own birthday, so he never told anyone what he wants for his birthday because of this." Utau suddenly said.

I sweat dropped.

'…or…maybe not…maybe he just felt like saying it.' I thought.

"…so, I just give him what he basically wants…" Utau continued.

I faced her.

"Hmm? And what may that be?"

"Fish, obviously!!" maybe some milk too!! He has a cat chara, so it's pretty easy to find him a gift. You can eve look it up in an animal encycplodia!!"

I sweat dropped again.

"No duh…"

**- End of Chapie!! –**


	12. Chapter 12

**- Chapie # 12! –**

I glanced at my watch.

"Oh no, I'm gonna be late for dinner! Gotta go, Utau!!"

When I was about to chara nari, Utau suddenly yelled.

"Wait, Amu!"

I faced her.

"What?"

"I didn't get to complement you yet!!"

I put on a confused look.

"Huh? About what?"

She started examining my body.

"Your costume looks great with your newly developed body, Amu-chan."

I blushed and sweat dropped at the same time.

"U-Uh, thanks. I guess."

I chara nari'd with Ran and took off.

"See ya, Utau!!" I yelled behind my back.

As soon as I was over the park's exit, I hit my head with my hand.

'Wait, why did I chara nari? Didn't I land here to undo it? Ugh…I'm such an idiot…'

I looked down.

"Well, I'm near home anyway."

As soon as I was over my house, I slowly landed on the front porch and undid it. I sighed and opened the door, then I was suddenly greeted by my mom.

"How's my Amu-chan!!..." she yelled.

I sweat dropped.

"W-Well, uh…"

Papa suddenly ran out of the kitchen with tears rolling down his face.

"Amu-chan!!" he yelled as he hugged me tightly.

"…Did someone confess to you?! Are you still a virgin?! Because if you aren't, I'll never forgive you!!"

"W-What?! Of course I'm still a virgin!!" I yelled as I tried to push him away.

"Waahhh!! Yokata!!"

I just sweat dropped while still trying to push him away.

"P-Papa, Get off of me!!"

He got off and wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead.

"Aaahhh… I'm so relieved."

"And no, no one confessed to me tonight." I said with an annoyed face while fixing my costume.

My mom put on a sad look with her hand on her cheek.

"Aw…and here I thought that my little Amu-chan would finally get a boyfriend today." She started pouting.

I got a vein on my forehead.

"I-I will get one!..." I looked sideways and crossed my arms in annoyance.

"…J-Just not right now…"

My mom stuck her lips out.

"Hai hai…But just make sure that when you get one, he should be hot, cute, sexy, and mama's type."

Me and Papa got another vein on our foreheads.

"M-Mama!!" we both yelled.

She just started laughing.

**)(Amu's room)(**

I got out of my costume and hung it behind my door, then changed into my pj's then plopped down on my bed.

"Waahhh…so soft…I missed this bed, my body aches all over." I started complaining.

I stretched my arms and legs, then turned over to face the side.

'Hmm…wonder what chocolate-related gift I'll get for Ikuto…' I thought.

I closed my eyes.

'Well, good thing it's Saturday tomorrow. I'll have plenty of time to find Ikuto a gift. Guess I'll have to use my allowance, huh?'

And I drifted off to sleep.

**)(The next day)(**

I woke up to my Meikyuu butterfly ringtone. My cell phone was vibrating rapidly on top of my drawer while I was lying face down on my pillow and moaned. I lazily lifted my hand on top of the drawer and roamed it around searching for my cell phone. Soon enough, my hand landed heavily on top of it, then I dragged it over to my ear.

"Moshi moshi…" I mumbled into my pillow, but it was barely understandable.

"Amu, Ikuto's sitting on a bench in the west wing of the park under the huge oak tree. If you hurry you can just about make i-…"

I heard the rustling of bushes.

"…this was my new blouse!! Damn bush!!"

More rustling. I just sweat dropped.

"Utau, why are you telling me this? And why are you hiding in the bushes?"

More rustling.

"Uh, well duh! Spying on Ikuto and telling you his exact location so you know where to find him when you give him your present!" she said really quickly.

"…you DO have his present by now, right?"

"Well, um…"

I glanced at my wall clock.

'It's still 8:31, why is Ikuto out so early in the morning? On a Saturday too!!"

I just sighed.

"Gotta go, Utau."

I got up and threw the phone on top of my bed and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. After I got out, I slipped into my clothes. I was wearing a black min-skirt with small, silver, chains clutching onto the side. A red, long-sleeved, polo, with it's sleeves rolled up to my elbows. A long, black and white, beaded necklace, tucked under my collar. Knee-high, red and black-striped, socks, and a silver-studded, shiny black, pair of short boots. Black and white bangles on my right wrist, and a pair of black heart earrings. Then I fixed my hair, the usual.

"Yosh! Now to find Ikuto's present."

I was getting pumped up for some reason. I ran downstairs, grabbed my allowance from inside my bag, then opened the front door.

"I'll be leaving now!!" I yelled behind my back.

**)(Outside…)(**

I was walking down the sidewalk while browsing some shop windows. Soon, I stopped in front of a candy store.

'Hmm…wonder if the chocolate here's cheap. Not that I want to give Ikuto something cheap though, I just hope it fits into my allowance.'

I pushed the door open and a chiming sound filled the whole shop. The person working behind the counter faced me.

"Hello, how may I help you?" he asked.

I put on a smile.

"Oh, I'm just searching for a gift for a friend."

"Okay then, feel free to browse the shop."

I nodded and walked around slowly, scanning all the shelves. Soon enough, I saw a sitting, chocolate cat, as big as my hand, wrapped in gold foil.

'Waahhh! Kawaii! I think Ikuto would like this.'

I grabbed the cat and searched for the tag price.

'1010 yen…'

I sweat dropped.

'…well, it IS his birthday'

I sighed as I brought the cat to the counter and pulled out a 1000 yen bill from my handbag while the guy was placing the cat in a decorated bag. I sweat dropped again.

'I-I'm 10 yen short…'

He placed the bag on top of the counter.

"That'll be 1020 yen, ma'am."

"W-What?! I thought that cat only costs 1010!"

"Gomen, yes, the cat costs 1010 yen, but the bag costs an extra 10 yen."

"Waahhh…" I said in an exhausted tone.

Ran suddenly chara changed with me as she whispered in my ear

'Don't worry, Amu-chan, leave everything to me!'

I quickly made a puppy dog face and formed small teardrops on the corner of my eyes. A Tail and a pair a dog ears popped out all of a sudden too.

"Waahhh, onegai!! I'm only 20 yen short!! This is supposed to be a gift for a dear friend too!! Please give me a discount!! Onegai!?" I said in my cutest voice yet.

My eyebrow suddenly started twitching.

'R-Ran, what are you making me do?!'

The counter guy just sweat dropped.

"H-Hai, I'll just give you a 20-yen discount." He stuttered.

Ran undid the change and I blinked quickly, still in the begging pose Ran ever so kindly left for me.

"E-Eh?!"

I quickly went back to a normal standing position with beads of sweat all over my head.

"A-Arigatou…"

I slowly handed him the 1000 yen bill as he handed me the bag. I just sighed as I got it.

"Please lose the sweat drop."

He was just staring at me, shakily, with shadows over his eyes, and the sweat drop still on his head.

"I-I-I'll try…"

I just sighed again then turned around to leave the shop.

'Well, better get to the park now. Eto…where did Utau say he was again? Was it the east wing of the park? Or the north wing…Oh what the hay, I'll just walk around til' I find him.'

Then I headed towards the park. As soon as I was at the front entrance, a tall blonde girl was running towards me with her arms stretched out. She was all messed up and had tears rolling down her face.

"WAAHHH!! AMU-CHAN!!" she yelled.

She hugged me tightly. Tight enough to keep me from breathing for a few seconds. I gasped for air.

"U-Utau! What happened to you?! You're a mess!!" I yelled all panicked.

She gave me an evil glare.

"Oh gee, YOU THINK?!"

I just sweat dropped.

"G-Gomen."

She separated form me with tears in her eyes.

"WAAHHH!! AMU-CHAN!! IT WAS TERRIBLE!! First, I snagged my new blouse in a bush, then Ikuto discovered me and was acting all cool too! He was like, 'Utau, how long do you plan to spy on me?' ( she said with a low voice trying to imitate Ikuto ) It was so Irritating!!"

She crossed her arms.

"…that's why I gave up on him in the first place, You owe me big time, Amu."

I sweat dropped.

"Wow, you actually did all that?"

She gave me another glare.

"Yeah, all for you too…That's why I said you owe me big time."

I sighed and sweat dropped.

'Geez, I didn't even ASK you to do any of this.'

I quickly put on a smile.

"Hai, hai. What about I treat you to ice cream tomorrow?"

"Hmm…triple chocolate?"

"Double."

"8"

"9:30"

"deal!" we each said quickly.

We shook on it.

"Well, see ya! I got a reputation to keep up you know." Said Utau.

I just smiled.

"Sure, Bye!"

"Remember, WEST WING!" she said before she turned around and took off.

"Oh, so it was the west wing…"

I just shrugged and headed there.

**- End of Chapie! –**


	13. Chapter 13

**- Chapie # 13! –**

I walked calmly towards the west wing of the park, while making sure that the chocolate didn't melt. I stopped as soon as I reached there, and scanned everywhere.

'Nope, no sign of the cat…'

I sighed and walked over to a bench while hugging the bag close to my chest and sat down.

'Geez, where is that good-for-nothing cat? And I woke up so early for him too, and on a Saturday!'

I noticed that the bench was still warm. Someone must have just sat on it. I looked up at the sky and felt the cool breeze flow by my face. It was a cool & cloudy day, not too hot, and not too cold either. It was just perfect.

"Waahhh, so relaxing." I said as I closed my eyes and smiled.

But I popped them open again as soon as I heard leaves rustling over me. I turned my head around and looked up. In the tree, I saw the blue-haired neko-boy, sitting on top of a branch and wearing that annoying-sexy smirk.

"Sorry, did I interrupt whatever you were doing? You looked so relaxed too." He said as his smirk grew wider.

"W-What are you?! A stalker?!" I yelled as I pointed at him.

"Hmm…that's not very nice, calling me a stalker as soon as you see me."

He jumped down from the tree and landed in front of me.

"W-What were you doing up that tree then?"

He sat beside and slung his arms behind the bench.

"What? Never seen a cat in a tree before?"

"W-Well, it's not that…"

"Oh, and I wanted to see who my annoying sister was telling my exact whereabouts to."

He looked at me.

"…but I never expected it to be you."

I couldn't help but blush as his face came closer.

"If you wanna spend more time with me THAT badly, just say so. You don't have to go as far as to ask my sister to spy on me from the bushes."

I blushed a few more shades.

"B-Baka!..." I said as I suddenly stood up.

I crossed my arms.

"…A-As if I'd go THAT low to spend time with you. Besides, it's not like I asked Utau to do that, she just suddenly called me this morning and told me your location."

"Hmm…whatever you say…" he said as a smirk appeared on his face again.

I got a vein on my forehead, but just sighed, and sat back down beside him.

"So…why was Utau telling you my location, exactly?"

I looked at him.

"For this…"

I showed him the bag, then he had a surprised look on his face. I just smiled.

"Happy Birthday, Ikuto."

He stared at me for a while and smiled.

"heh, thanks then."

He took the bag and placed it on top of his lap.

"So…what's in here?"

I puffed my cheeks and moaned, annoyed.

"Why don't you just open it already?"

He gave out a little laugh and opened up the bag. He reached in and pulled out the cat slowly and brought it up to his face. He just stared at it for a while.

"What, this is it?"

A vein suddenly popped up on my forehead.

"W-What?! I used up a few week's allowance (or probably even a month's) just for this, and THAT'S the first thing you say?!"

I noticed his eyes widened a bit as I faced sideways with my arms crossed in annoyance. He lowered his head and looked at the cat, then slowly unwrapped it and closed his eyes with a calm face.

"Thanks then…"

I opened my eyes and looked at him as he broke off an ear and nibbled on it. He opened his eyes.

"Mmmm…this is pretty good…"

I smiled, put on a calmer face, and sat back down.

"Well, I'm glad you liked it."

He looked at me for a while with the ear still in his mouth, then looked back down.

"…Sorry…"

I put on a wondering look, then quickly turned it back to a smile.

"Hmm…that's okay, I guess I got used to it."

He looked at me again and put on a weak smile. He looked back at the cat, broke off the other ear and handed it to me. I just looked at it.

"Hm?"

He was facing forward, his head lowered with a calm face.

"It's not 'hm' it's chocolate…take it."

"W-Wha?!-…" I tried to force on a smile but it ended up awkward.

"I-I can't! I mean, it's YOUR gift."

"Exactly…it's my gift so I decide what to do with it."

I just stared at him as my lips slowly formed a weak smile. I slowly got the chocolate form his hand and started nibbling on it.

"Mmm…this really IS good."

I noticed he was looking at me while I was eating.

"W-What are you looking at?! Don't look at me while I'm eating, BAKA!"

He just smirked.

"W-What's that smirk for?!"

He gave out a little laugh.

"Kawaii, you've got some chocolate on your face."

"Huh?"

I placed 2 fingers near the chocolate on the corner of my lips.

"Hmm…I'll get it…" said Ikuto.

My eyes widened as he put his fingers under my chin and brought my face closer to his. I started to blush hard. He slowly licked the chocolate near the corner of my mouth.

"I-Ikuto?!"

He brought his face directly in front of mine's only millimeters apart.

"What? I got it didn't I?" he said with a smirk.

He backed his face away and looked forward again.

"But for some reason, that smudge of chocolate tasted sweeter than the rest." He said as he licked his lower lip.

I blushed a few more shades.

"Hmm…you really are a pervert." I said as I put on an irritated look.

"Yeah well, it's one of the things you love about me." He said with a relaxed face and a smirk.

"Pfft…dream on."

Ikuto gave out a weak laugh and put his hands behind his head, elbows up, and eyes closed in a relaxed way. I just stared at him, both hands holding onto the cat.

"Amu…"

"H-Huh?" I asked, half-surprised.

He opened his eyes slowly.

"Well, um….how should I put this…" he said as he placed his left hand on top of his head.

"Um-…"

"I-Ikuto…"

He faced me with a wondering look.

"Hm?"

A surprised look suddenly appeared on his face when I cupped his face in my hands.

"T-This doesn't mean I like you or anything, okay? T-This is just to get you back." Blushing as I said it, and bangs covering my eyes.

He just stared at me.

"A-Amu, what are yo-…"

His eyes widened as I laid my lips on his. Everything suddenly paused as me and Ikuto were stuck in this moment.

'W-Why…why did I suddenly kiss Ikuto like this? I just unconsciously…what's wrong with me?'

I could easily hear my heart beating. Slowly, I separated my lips from his, breathing heavily. I could feel his warm breath blowing against my lips. He was still wearing that surprised look on his face.

"A-Amu…"

I let out a quick gasp and placed my hand over my mouth when I realized what I did.

"I-I gotta go…"

I grabbed my purse and got up to run, bangs over my eyes and blushing.

After running a couple of steps, I felt Ikuto grab my wrist. I quickly put on a surprised look. I couldn't continue running, his grip was too strong.

"I-Ikuto…" I said without turning around.

There was a short silence.

"You…what was that for?..." he said with a calm voice.

"…suddenly kissing me like that, then trying to run away. What's that supposed to mean, if it wasn't because you like me?"

I let out a quick and short gasp.

"I-I told you it was to get you back!!" I yelled.

I lowered my head as a tear dropped down from my face.

"L-Let me go…" I said calmly while still looking down.

I could feel Ikuto just staring at me.

"Fine, I'll let you go…"

I raised my head a little bit with my mouth slightly open as another tear dropped down.

"…but…would you stay with me for a while first? It's my birthday after all."

Slowly, he let go of my wrist. I just stood there for a few seconds then turned around to face him again. He just put on a weak smile.

"Baka…are you just going to stand there all day, or do you want me to go over there and get you?" he said teasingly. I let out a quick 'huff'.

'Geez, what's with that? His old character suddenly came up again…'

Then a relieved smile slowly appeared on my face.

'…but…I'm actually kind of…glad.'

I wiped the tear off my face with an arm and quickly put on a smile again.

"Hai!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

I sat back down beside him and sighed.

"If it wasn't your birthday, I bet you wouldn't have an excuse to keep me here."

Ikuto faced forward and put on a smirk.

"Hmm…not really…I could have thought of other ways to persuade you easily."

My eyebrow started twitching as I lowered my head.

'W-What a bastard…'

"…and, if it wasn't my birthday, you wouldn't even be here."

I just sweat dropped.

'Y-You make a pretty good point there.'

Ikuto was just silent.

"When was the last time you ever visited me, anyway?" he said with an emotionless voice.

"Eh?"

I raised my head to face him as he looked up at the sky with a calm face.

"I…don't even remember the last time…"

I just stared at him.

"Ikuto…"

We were so caught in the moment that we didn't notice that the cat was already melting. We both looked at the cat, then I started to laugh.

"Better eat it up now, Ikuto."

"Uh, oh yeah…"

He started to lick off the melted part as I just stared at him. He glanced at me.

"What? Want some?" he asked while still with one eye open which I found unusually sexy.

"What?! Of course not!! It already has your spit!!"

"Mmm…but we shared spit just a moment ago."

I started to blush. He brought the cat up to my face.

"C'mon, I won't be able to finish this by myself."

I smiled weakly and got the cat from his hands.

"You're such an idiot…"

**- End of Chapie! –**


	14. Chapter 14

- Chapie # 14! –

I brought the cat up to my face and stared at it for a while. I sighed, lowered it a little, and licked the chocolate on its nose. Ikuto was watching me the whole time, elbow on top of is lap and chin resting behind his hand.

"Hmm…I'm actually jealous of the little thing."

I looked at him with one eye open.

"Tough…"

He just smirked.

"Hmm…just wish that our first kiss was something like a few moments ago instead."

I started to blush.

"And who's fault do you think that was?" I asked with my eyes closed.

"True…"

I gave out a weak laugh.

"Well, I couldn't help it, especially after seeing you for so long."

"Hey, that's okay. I mean, anyone who hasn't seen someone for a long time, suddenly steals his/her's first kiss, right? That's totally normal." Every word dripping with sarcasm.

"Okay, okay…I get it."

I let out a weak smile and licked the cat one more time.

"But…I'm sort of glad I had your first kiss, that makes it all the more worth it." He said teasingly with a smirk.

I blushed lightly.

"S-Shut up, baka!" I said with an annoyed tone.

There was a short silence as I lowered the cat and looked down.

"Ikuto…"

Ikuto looked at me and gave out a quick 'hm?'

Another short pause.

"Sorry if…what I did back there was a little…awkward."

He raised his head a bit. I lowered my head even more as Ikuto shrugged.

"Baka, don't act like that." He said as he flicked my forehead.

"Ouch…" I said annoyed, while rubbing it.

"…It doesn't match you at all" he continued.

I just stared at him as he sighed.

"Besides, I should be the one apo-…"

"AMU-CHAN!! IKUTO!!"

Ikuto sweat dropped with blue lines under his eyes in an annoyed look, as he was interrupted by someone screaming. I saw Utau running towards us with a huge smile on her face and waving a hand in the air, and a brown paper bag in the other hand. She was wearing a black blouse and white pants that reached to her knees. I heard Ikuto sigh as soon as she stopped in front of us. I just smiled.

"Hey, Utau."

"Hey! Um…did I just disturb something?" she asked in an innocent voice.

"Yes, you came at a very bad time." Ikuto said with his left hand on his forehead and right arm behind the bench. I hit him on the arm with my elbow.

"H-Hey, What's that for?" he asked annoyed.

"No, it's okay." I said, ignoring Ikuto.

Ikuto just sighed again.

"Utau, what are you doing here?" he asked with an unmotivated voice.

Utau puffed her cheeks.

"Geez, Ikuto…I come all the way here to give you your present and that's what you have to say? Mm…you can be so mean sometimes."

Ikuto just shrugged.

"Hey, Just kidding…so, what's in it?"

Utau quickly put on a smiling face again.

"Well, at first, I wanted to give you a fish…but I knew it would stink sooner or later…"

Ikuto sweat dropped.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't"

"…so, I got you some milk instead!" she continued.

She opened the paper bag and started rummaging in it. She pulled out a carton of milk and handed it over to Ikuto.

Ikuto just sweat dropped as he got it.

"Uh, thanks…"

Utau looked at me while Ikuto was just staring at the carton.

"Is that your gift, Amu-chan?" she asked curiously as she pointed at the cat in my hands.

"U-Uh, yeah."

"Mmm…looks yummy. Makes me look forward to tomorrow even more! You better not forget it."

I just sweat dropped.

"Hai, hai."

I glanced at Ikuto who was staring at the expiry date of the milk.

"Utau…this milk expired 2 days ago."

"Wha-? Really?!"

He sweat dropped yet again as Utau laughed nervously.

"…Gomen…I was in a rush to get here, so I just grabbed that from the ref."

Ikuto sighed.

"Gee, what a love-filled and heart-warming present." He said, every word dripping with sarcasm.

I just stared at him.

"Ikuto, are me and Utau the only ones who gave you presents today?"

He just looked at me.

"Well, yeah…none of my friends even know of my birthday."

Utau snickered.

"That's because he doesn't even know when his own birthday is, let alone his friends."

Ikuto got a vein on his forehead and gave out a quick 'tch' as he faced to the side, arms still behind the bench. I just gave out a weak laugh.

"But isn't it a bit weird to get gifts from just 2 girls for your birthday?"

"Mm…not really, I didn't even expect anyone to give me presents today."

I just stared at him.

"Aw, c'mon! Stop being so negative!" I yelled teasingly as I hit Ikuto hard on the back, causing him to cough.

"Wow, Amu…" Utau said with a straight face as she sweat dropped.

Ikuto started coughing.

"What was THAT for?!" he asked with his fist on his chest.

I laughed nervously.

"Gomen…I just unconsciously did that…and that was for being so negative."

He just stared at me. I noticed my fingers got a little slippery, and I looked down on the cat.

"Eep! I-It's melting! Ikuto, eat it up, quick!!"

I shoved the cat in front of his face.

"Wh-Wha-? Why me?!"

"It's your gift, idiot!!"

"I'll eat it!!" yelled Utau, happily.

Me and Ikuto just stared at her, then to each other.

"U-Uh, sure…here." I stuttered a si handed it over to her.

She held it by the part with no dripping chocolate.

"…but that depends…did any of you lick it yet?"

Me and Ikuto looked sideways with dark blue lines under our eyes.

"Well, uh…"

"EW!! NO WAY!!"

She handed it over to Ikuto.

"H-Hey!! Careful with that!! It might drip on me!!"

)(Outside d park!!)(

I was slouching while walking down the sidewalk with tears rolling down my face, Ikuto and Utau beside me.

'Waahhh! What a waste of perfectly good chocolate!!' I thought.

First, the chocolate REALLY started to melt, so Utau ran behind the bench with the cat in her hands. The chocolate dripped all over the grass, then we were scolded at by the nearest gardener. Then I ran around the park with my hands all sticky, looking for a fountain. In the end, I ended up washing my hands on the water sprinkler. The chocolate from my hands dripped down to the grass again and I was scolded at AGAIN by, thankfully, another gardener. Then scolded at YET AGAIN, because Ikuto spilled the expired milk in front of the bench.

I just moaned at the flashback.

"My allowance…down the drain…"

Utau suddenly swung her arm around my neck.

"Aw, c'mon!! Cheer up already, Amu-chan!!"

"Hmm…easier said than done."

I glanced at Ikuto who was just silent as we walked along.

'Hmm…wonder what he's thinking about now.'

Pretty soon, I was in front of my house.

"I'm finally here."

"Well, see you again, Amu-chan!!" Utau yelled happily.

I gave out a weak smile.

"Yeah…"

"Bye…Amu…" said Ikuto calmly while facing the other way.

I looked at him, then put on a smile.

"Bye, Ikuto."

Utau waved at me happily as she dragged a sweat dropping Ikuto back home. I watched them until they disappeared form my view, and sighed as I entered the house. As soon as I opened the door, I heard that familiar, irritating yell.

"Amu-chan!! A BOY is here to see you!!"

-End of Chapie! –


	15. Chapter 15

- Chapie # 15! –

I jumped back in surprise.

"N-Nani?!"

Mama put on a sly look.

"Hmm…could he probably be your BOYfriend?? Good job, Amu-chan!! He has all the requirements!! He's hot, cute, sexy, and totally mama's type!!" she said with hearts in her eyes.

I got a vein on my forehead.

"No, he's NOT!! By the way, who is HE?"

"I don't know, he's YOUR boyfriend."

Another vein popped up on my forehead.

"Who is he alread- ugh….never mind…"

I walked towards the living room and saw a grinning Kukai sitting on the sofa.

"Yo, Hinamori!!"

"H-Hey…Souma-kun….what are you doing here?" I asked in a nervous voice.

"KYAAA!! AMU-CHII!! YOU'RE BOYFIREND IS SOOO GOOD-LOOKING!!" yelled an excited Ami.

I just blushed.

"A-Ami!!"

Kukai laughed.

"That's right! We look good together, don't we?" he asked with a big grin.

I blushed a few more shades.

"S-Souma-kun!! Don't encourage her!!"

"C'mon, Ami…Let's go to the kitchen. Amu-chan and her boyfriend needs to discuss something together." Said mama.

"He is not my boyfrie-! Huh? Discuss?"

"That's right, I told your mom that I wanted to discuss something with you."

"O-Oh, okay then."

Mama and Ami slipped into the kitchen and shut the door as I sat down, opposite Kukai.

"So…what did you wanna discuss?"

"Right, first of all, where were you? You've been gone all morning?"

I was a bit shocked as he said that.

"S-Souma-kun, did you wait for me all morning?"

He just put on an 'eh?' kind of look and just laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, yeah….sort of."

I just put on a weak smile.

"Geez, is what you wanna discuss THAT important?"

Kukai just rubbed the back of his head with a nervous smile on.

"Well, to me it is…"

I put on another weak smile.

"Well, to answer that first question, I was out to see a…friend."

Kukai just looked at me.

"I see."

"So…what was so important that you had to wait for me all morning?"

There was a short silence.

"Well, um…how should I put this…since I didn't get the chance to tell you this at the cultural festival, I…"

The kitchen door suddenly swung open and mama and Ami fell straight on the floor. My mom sat up and rubbed the back of her head nervously.

"Well, the door…WASN'T locked, after all."

I just stared at them with a straight face.

"You guys were eavesdropping on us?"

They immediately got up and waved their hands frantically in front of them.

"N-NO!! Not EAVESDROPPING!! We just happened to be leaning on the door with out ears-…"

"Eavesdropping."

"Yeah, you got us…" she said quickly while looking down.

I sighed and looked back at Kukai, who was looking at mama and Ami with an expressionless face.

"Eto…gomen Souma-kun.."

Kukai looked back at me and quickly put on a smile again.

"Nah, that's okay, Hinamori." He said a she got up.

"Well, gotta get going now…see ya!"

"…But! What were you gonna say?"

He just stared at the door for a while with an expressionless face.

"I'll…tell you about that…soon…bye."

"Um…okay."

Before he walked out the door, I quickly yelled after him.

"S-Souma-kun!"

He turned around to face me with his eyebrows raised a bit.

"Hm?" he said as he just stared at me.

"E-Eto…I'm sorry for not getting back to you and the others yesterday, even after I said that I'd be back."

There was another short silence before he put on another big grin.

"Heh, no prob…I'm just glad you told us that you'd be leaving first." He said with the usual energy in his voice.

"Well, Ja ne!" He said as he turned around and walked out of the door.

I just put on a weak smile as he left.

'Heh, I'm glad that he left with a smile."

I slowly looked back at mama and Ami.

"…great…"

Mama and Ami just laughed nervously as I sighed & got up.

"I'm going to bed now."

When I was halfway up the stairs, Ran suddenly popped up in front of my face.

"Kyaaa!! Amu-chan!! What an eventful day!!"

"GYAAHHH!!" I screamed as I felt my foot slip a little.

I waved my arms frantically in front of me, trying to keep my balance.

"Amu-chan!!" Ran yelled in panic.

When I finally regained my balance, I bent down, and started panting as Ran just crossed her arms.

"Geez, Amu-chan, you're too careless."

A vein popped up on my forehead as I shot her a glare.

"WHO'S FAULT DO YOU THINK THAT WAS?!"

I quickly covered my mouth as soon as I realized how loud I was.

"Hm? Everything okay up there, Amu-chan?" Mama asked from the living room.

I gave out a little 'eep!'

"U-Uh, just fine, mama!"

I looked back at Ran and signaled her to continue flying to my room. She just nodded with a smile and continued flying forward. After I entered my room, I quickly shut the door behind me and leaned my back on it. Suu was flying near my bed, her back facing me.

"Waahhh!! What an eventful day!!" she yelled happily.

"…huh?..." I stared at her with a confused look.

She faced me.

"Amu-chan, first you and Ikuto-kun KISS, then Souma-kun was about to CONFESS to you! Don't tell me you forgot ALREADY?"

I blushed at the word 'kiss'.

"O-Of course not…" I said as I looked down.

Miki suddenly flew in front of my face.

"Eek!" I yelled as I faced back forward.

"Aw!! Kawaii!! Amu-chan's blushing!!" she said happily.

"N-No I'm not!" I said as I held my cheeks loosely with my hands.

- PANG –

"W-Wait, did you just say Souma-kun was going to confess to me?" I yelled as I pointed at Ran.

"Hm? Yeah! Wasn't it obvious?"

(written in the background - …)

"…eh?..." I said weakly.

Miki shook her head.

"Amu-chan's too dense, she'll never get it."

I quickly faced Miki.

"S-Shut up!!" I yelled while she just giggled.

I quickly calmed back down and lowered my head again.

'He was going to confess to me?...'

"So, does this mean it's officially you and Ikuto?" Ran asked out of the blue.

My eyes widened a bit as I lowered my head even more.

"O-Of course not…" I said in a calm voice as I bent down to a sitting position and buried my face in my arms.

My charas looked at me with worried faces.

'After I kissed him, he acted like we were already a couple…geez, I don't know if that's because he had some feelings for me…or if it's just in his pervy nature…'

I moaned and got up.

"I don't have time to think about this."

I walked into my bathroom and changed into my pj's. While I was in there, I looked at myself in the mirror with my hands on top of the sides of the sink. I just stared at myself for a while, then slowly placed 2 fingers on my bottom lip. The name 'Ikuto' suddenly escaped my lips. I just sighed and washed my hair. I turned the faucet off and a 'squeak' sound filled the bathroom. I looked at the mirror again, reached for my towel, and dried my hair. Then I stepped out of the bathroom with my towel on top of my head. As soon as I got out of the bathroom, I sighed again, walked over to my bed and plopped down. I closed my eyes for a while then opened them up again to look at the ceiling.

'Souma-kun was supposed to confess to me, huh?'

I sighed as everything grew quiet and my head stayed calm for a bit.

- silence –

'Waahhh!! Of all days!! And what would I have said if he DID confess?! I can't just say 'sure, let's go out.' I screamed in my head as I placed my pillow over my face and rolled around the bed.

But I quickly became calm again.

'But…Souma-kun's a really nice guy and helped me with almost all of my problems…I'd feel bad if I said no…' I sighed as I turned over and buried my face in my pillow.

'…Ikuto…'

Before I knew it, I was fast asleep.

- End of Chapie! -

--

Gomen...this chapie took 4ever to upload...i barely managed to have time to sneek on the computer, coz...the exam's cumin up and all...so it'll probably take sum tym to upload the tiher chapies...but you guys better look 4ward to chapie 19!! XP


	16. Chapter 16

- Chapie #16! –

I opened my eyes to see a blur of bright light pouring in through the window. I moaned and sat up straight.

' Morning already? '

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and tried to straighten my hair as much as possible. I looked towards the window for a while as I saw 2 birds fly by, then sighed and leaned on the wall behind me as I took a glance at my clock.

' It's still 9:00…still got some time to prepare. '

I closed my eyes for a bit, then got up. As soon as I was up beside my bed, I froze in place.

"Umm… What do I have time to prepare for again?'' I asked myself as I put on a wondering face.

My cell phone suddenly rang as it vibrated on my bedroom drawer. I picked it up and answered.

"Moshi Moshi?"

"OHAYO, AMU-CHAN!!" yelled an excited Utau from the other line.

I jerked the phone away from my ear and there were beads of sweat everywhere.

My hand was shaking as I brought the phone closer to my ear again.

"O-Ohayo…Utau…" I replied shakily.

"You better not forget our deal, If you do…"

"Hai, hai. I'll be there. Don't worry your pretty little head."

Utau squealed on the other end.

"See you there!" she yelled happily as she hung up.

I stared at my phone and sweat drooped.

"That's right… that's what it was."

)(At the park)(

I waited for Utau near the bench where I –cough- 'got Ikuto back'. I was carrying a tiny black purse, wearing a black off-shoulder with a big diamond-studded heart and skull on the bottom left corner, a pair of pure-white jean shorts reaching half my thigh, and a pair of black strappy sandals. (wow, I'm good at this! XP)

I sighed.

"Geez, and there she was all excited about it too."

"AMU-CHAN!!"

I faced towards my left where the scream came from and saw Utau running towards me in a pink shirt and a white skirt. She stopped in front of me with a big smile on her face.

"Gomenasai, did I make you wait long?"

I just put on a weak smile.

"No, It's fine…let's go."

)(At the ice cream shoppe)(

Utau and I started eating our chocolate sundaes.

"Mmm…SUGOI!! I'm glad I agreed to this deal!" Utau yelled happily.

I sighed with a straight face as I placed my empty wallet back in my purse.

"Well, I'm glad one of us is happy."

Utau lowered her head a little and there was a short silence.

"Amu-chan…"

I looked up at my ice cream and stared at her.

"Hm?"

"Are you sure nothing happened between you and Ikuto yesterday?" she asked in an expressionless voice.

I choked on my ice cream and coughed.

"W-Why do you ask that?"

She looked at me.

"Well, he didn't sleep at all last night, so I figured that something happened between you 2 while I still wasn't there."

I just put on a nervous smile.

"Well, uh…" I said nervously while lightly scratching the lower part of my cheek.

Utau suddenly placed her face in front of mine's.

"But if that something happened to be something sweet between you, then that's totally okay with me." She said as she put on a mischievous grin.

"W-What are you talking about?!" I yelled back, surprised.

Utau just started to laugh as she sat back down, properly.

"Your reaction!! I KNEW something was going on you 2!! Congratulations Amu-chan!!"

I lightly blushed.

"N-No! It's nothing like that!! Y-You just took me by surprise, that's all!!" I said as I waved my hands frantically in front of me, sweat drops everywhere.

"Hai, hai…whatever you say, Amu-chan…I was just kidding." She said calmly as she closed her eyes and ate a spoonful of her ice cream.

I sighed.

'Thank goodness she was just kidding'

"Well, I'm just glad that he didn't really stay up all night." I said.

Utau opened her eyes and looked at me.

"Hm? Oh no, I wasn't kidding about that part, he really did stay up all night, thinking or something." She said before eating another spoonful.

I gave out a weak 'eep!'

"H-Hm…I-I wonder what he's thinking about…" I said as I lowered my head a bit and blushed lightly.

Utau just shrugged.

"It's a mystery…you never know what that guy's thinking about."

I raised my head again and ate a spoonful.

"Hey Utau, don't you think that it's a bit weird that Ikuto never had a single girlfriend before? I mean… I expect him, of all people, to be chased around by a whole bunch of screaming girls everyday."

"Oh Amu-chan, if only you knew how much girls were rejected by Ikuto…you'd b amazed."

I just sweat dropped.

"Speaking of which, what kind of girl is his type anyway?" I asked curiously.

"How should I know?"

I just sweat dropped again.

"Aren't you hi sister or something?"

"Well yeah but…that doesn't mean that I should know what type of girl he likes, besides, if I knew that, I would've gotten Ikuto long ago when I still liked him."

I stared at her with a straight face.

"Well, that's true."

I heard the shop door open, but I just ignored it and continued my conversation with Utau. An arm suddenly grabbed me by the neck and started rubbing my head, playfully.

"Yo, Hinamori!"

"S-Souma-kun?!"

He let go of me and stood up straight with a huge smile on his face.

"What a coincidence! I get to see you today too!" he said happily.

"W-What are you doing here, Souma-kun?"

"I just happened to stop by here before the second half of the game."

"B-but, won't you be late if you stay here for too long then?"

He looked up a bit and placed his finger under his chin in a wondering look.

"Hm, well…sort of. I was actually in a rush to get here before the break ends, but since I saw you here…I don't really care anymore." He said as he put on a big grin.

I lightly blushed as he said that. I suddenly remembered what Ran told me last night about Souma-kun going to confess to me. I just blushed ten fold and gave out a weak 'eep!' as small beads of sweat formed behind my head. Souma-kun just looked at me with a semi-wondering face.

I heard Utau cough and I quickly looked at her. She was wearing a straight face.

"Come here."

I just stared at her and sighed.

"Excuse me, Souma-kun." I said as I got out of my seat.

"Hai!"

He moved aside as I got out and he quickly took my place. I looked at him with a straight face, and he just smiled at me. I just sighed again and continued walking towards Utau. As soon as I was close enough, she quickly grabbed me by the neck and dragged me away from Souma-kun as she whispered in my ear. I just noticed him sweat drop with a smile behind me.

"Amu-chan, why didn't you tell me you already had a boyfriend?..." she whisper-yelled in my ear.

"…and a cute one too!"

I just stared at her, shocked.

"U-Utau!!"

"What?"

I lightly blushed.

"S-Souma-kun is not my boyfriend!"

Utau just crossed her arms and looked at me.

"Tch. Sure he isn't. I'm sorry Amu-chan, but I can't give Ikuto to you if you already have someone like HIM as your boyfriend." She said as she pointed at Souma-kun with her thumb.

I blushed ten fold.

"I-I told you, Souma-kun is not my boyfriend!" I whisper yelled with my eyes closed.

As soon as I popped them open again, Utau was back in her seat eating her ice cream as Souma-kun was ordering his. I sweat dropped again and sighed.

"Well, that's Utau for you…" I said as I walked back to my seat.

- End of Chapie! –

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Heyy!! what do ya noe...i was able to upload a new chapie after all!! i finished 2 books in a day and my mom was actually kind enough to let me use d comp!! miracles DO happen!!XD


	17. Chapter 17

- Chapie # 17! –

I sat back down opposite Utau who was still eating her ice cream. I sighed and looked out the window with my chin resting behind my hand and eating my own ice cream, waiting for a miracle to happen. I faced towards the other side when I heard a scuffing noise, expecting it to be Kukai, and guess what I saw. If you're thinking it's Ikuto…you're wrong. I saw a grinning Kukai carrying a huge bowl of Banana split. It had like 5 bananas and 10 scoops of ice cream. I just sweat dropped.

"S-Souma-kun, you can actually eat all that?"

He just laughed.

"Of course I can!"

I just sweat dropped again and looked at him with a straight face and a crooked smile.

'Well, I guess this counts as a miracle.'

I scooted over to the side and Souma-kun sat down beside me as he placed the bowl in front of him. He licked his lower lip in hunger as he grabbed a spoon.

"ITADAKIMASU!"

He started chomping down, spoonful after spoonful. 2 spoonfuls between every second. I sweat dropped as I watched him eat.

"S-Souma-kun…" I said in disbelief.

'I'm just glad that he likes to play sports a lot to make up for it.'

Utau just stared at him in amazement.

"Wow…what an appetite."

I turned to face her with another crooked smile.

'S-She's actually amazed by it.'

Souma-kun sighed with satisfaction as he dropped the spoon in the empty bowl.

"Aaahh…delicious!" he said with a big grin as he wiped below his lip with his arm.

I just put on a weak smile.

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it."

He looked at me, then my ice cream.

"What about you? You gonna finish that?" he asked with a smile as he pointed at my ice cream bowl, still half-full.

"Huh?" I said as I looked at it.

"Ah, no, no. I'm kinda full already. Do you wanna finish it?"

He just widened his smile in a cute way.

"You know it!"

I put on a weak smile and slid the bowl in front of him.

"Well, you 2 seem really sweet…" Utau said with a straight face and a sarcastic tone, chin resting behind her hand.

"N-No we're not!" I said as I quickly faced her with a panicked look and beads of sweat behind my head.

Souma-kun just laughed.

"We are, aren't we?"

"S-Souma-kun! Not again!" I said as I faced his way.

He just continued laughing.

"Hai hai, I'll stop now."

I just sighed.

"Well anyway, Itadkimasu!"

He grabbed the spoon form the bowl and ate a spoonful of m ice cream.

"Mmm…this is even more delicious than my ice cream! Why didn't I order this instead?"

He was too busy with the ice cream that he didn't notice anything.

"S-Souma-kun.."

He looked at me with a wondering look and holding the spoon in his mouth (which I found cute.).

"Hmm?"

I had beads of sweat all over the back of my head.

"…That's my spoon."

- silence –

Souma-kun slowly removed the spoon form his mouth and stared at his reflection on it. He suddenly let out a loud scream which I thought was heard form outside. In an instant, he was standing up in front of me then bowed down, holding the spoon in his hands.

"G-Gomenasai!" he apologized as he held out the spoon in front of me.

I just sweat dropped.

"S-Souma-kun, I-It's okay, no big deal! You don't have to bow down!"

He just stayed in that position while staring at the ground with a semi-worried look. I just sighed and held his hand and the spoon lightly.

"Souma-kun, it's okay…really. You can get up now." I said in a clam voice.

His eyes widened a bit as he stood back up slowly, and looked at me. He lowered his head a little as he looked back down.

"H-Hai." He said while lightly blushing.

I just put on a relieved smile.

"Aw c'mon! Don't act like that! That character doesn't seem like you at all!"

He looked at me then put on a weak smile. That weak smile slowly turned to a big grin as he placed a hand behind his head and started to laugh like his usual self again.

"Heh, I guess you're right!" he said in his usual happy-go-lucky tone.

I put on another weak smile and tilted my head slightly to the side as he just continued laughing. I widened my eyes a bit as I noticed Utau, her head lowered and bangs covered her eyes.

"Utau…" I said quietly with a worried look.

Souma-kun glanced at his wrist watch.

"Gah! I'm late!" he said in a small voice with beads of sweat all over.

He looked back at me with an emotionless face, while I was staring at Utau. Everything went silent for a while. Suddenly, he hit my back lightly with his hand and was wearing a grin to break the awkward moment.

"S-Souma-kun?" I stuttered for him doing that out-of-the-blue as I faced him.

"hey, I gotta get going now…" he said with his usual big grin.

"…I'm already late for the next game!..."

That big grin slowly turned to a weak smile.

"It's just too bad that…I couldn't get to spend more time with you…even for a little bit."

I just couldn't help but blush. He suddenly moved his face in front of mines with a big smile on.

"Haha! Kawaii! You're blushing! Were you moved by what I said?" he asked teasingly.

I quickly went into panic mode and put my arms in a defensive position while blushing a scarlet red, and beads of sweat everywhere.

"O-of course not! I-it was just getting really hot in here, that's all!" I yelled with a forced smile on, and fanning myself with my hands to convince him how hot it was.

Souma-kun just laughed.

"Hot? In an ice cream shop?" He said in disbelief as he just continued laughing.

I just blushed, ten fold.

"B-BE QUIET!!"

Souma-kun soon calmed down and placed a hand on my head making me calm down too.

"Heh, I really have to get going now, or the coach will have a fit and kill me!" he said with his usual energy as he removed his hand from my head.

I just stared at him.

"Well, Ja ne!" he yelled happily as he ran towards the door and out the shoppe.

I just stared at him through the window, running until he turned a corner and disappeared from my view. I just sighed.

'Geez, that Souma-kun.'

I turned around again to face Utau who was playing with her ice cream using her spoon. I just put on a weak smile.

"Well, looks like you're done…ready to get going?"

She looked up at me with a sleepy look, as a weak smile slowly formed on her face.

"Hai!"

)(Outside!)(

Utau and I were walking down the sidewalk, outside the shop. Utau still had her head lowered while holding her purse with both hands in front of her. I just stared at her with a worried look.

'Geez, Utau…What's with you today?'

"Amu-chan…"

I put on a surprised look with beads of sweat all over.

"H-hai?" I stuttered.

There was a short silence.

"Do you love Ikuto?"

- End of Chapie! -


	18. Chapter 18

wahahah!! the exam's r finally over!! alleluia!! oh, and i PROMISE i'll make it up to u guys for updating real late...typing, DOUBLE-TIME!!...as soon as i'm done with my project in social studies --

- - - - - -

- Chapie # 18! –

My eyes widened as she asked the question, and we both stopped walking.

"U-Utau…what's this about all of a sudden?"

There was a short silence.

"Just…answer the question."

I just put on a weak smile.

"Was this what was troubling you the whole time? You thought I liked Souma-kun more than Ikuto?"

Utau raised her head a little.

"Um…well, sortof."

I let a weak 'hm' sound escape my lips.

"Well, I'm not really sure if I can answer that question."

Utau looked at me with a wondering look.

"huh? Why not?"

I thought for a while.

"Well, to tell you the truth…I do have some feelings for Ikuto, but I'm not really sure if it's love yet. It's probably…just a little crush." I said as I put on a weak smile.

Utau just looked at me, half-surprised.

"A little crush, huh?..." she said as she slowly put on her usual big grin again.

"…Well, that's good enough for me!"

My eyes widened as I stared at her because of her response, then I slowly formed a smile again.

"Speaking of which…do you have someone you like yet?"

"huh?" she said as she put on a thinking pose.

"Hm…now that I think about it, I don't really have that special someone yet…"

She quickly put on a big grin.

"…but hey, I'm in no rush!"

I just continued smiling as I watched how cheerful she was…I was jealous. Suddenly, a black limo stopped beside me and Utau. I just sweat dropped as the shiny-black, bullet-proof window slid down and revealed Sanjou-san looking at us with a worried look on her face.

"Utau! Where were you?! I've been looking for you all over town!! You have a concert to go to, you know!"

I just stared at Utau with disbelief and a straight face.

"Y-You have a concert to got to, and yet you were right here eating ice cream?"

She looked at me with her arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

"Hm? Well, yeah! I just managed to escape somehow." She said as she put on a big smile.

"…I just really wanted to eat ice cream with Amu-chan today!"

My eyes widened for a bit, but I quickly formed a weak smile again. there was a short silence before I suddenly hit Utau's head really lightly, ruining the atmosphere.

"Ba-ka." I said with a straight face and a small smile.

Utau placed both hands on her head with tears rolling down her face like a kid.

"A-Amu-chan? W-What was that for so suddenly?" she asked in a whining voice.

"You didn't have to escape just to eat ice cream with me…just ask and I'll buy you ice cream anytime…but that depends if I have the money for it, that is." I said calmly as I said the last few words under my breath.

Utau just looked at me with a surprised face as she slowly put on a big grin again.

"Hai!...but just make sure you have PLENTY of money next time, because I'm not gonna eat anything for the whole day to make room for the ice cream!"

I just sweat dropped.

"H-Hai."

- -

Utau got into the back seat of the limo, sat down beside Sanjou-san, and turned around to face me.

"Well, Bye Amu-chan!!"

I flashed her a smile.

"Bye Utau."

"Oh, Amu-chan!!" yelled Sanjou-san yelled quickly before Utau started rolling the window up.

I just looked at her with a wondering look, eyebrows raised.

"…I almost forgot to tell you, Kairi is flying back here next week!"

I quickly put on a shocked look.

"E-Eh?! Class rep?!"

She just put on a big smile.

"Yeah! Isn't that great?"

"…Kairi…" I said weakly as I started to think.

'I haven't seen him in a while. I can finally see him again! But…I hope that he hasn't changed much.'

I just put on a weak smile.

"Yeah, I actually can't wait!..." I said.

"…but, why the sudden visit?" I asked curiously.

Sanjou-san just put on a wondering look and placed a finger under her chin.

"Hm…not sure actually…all he said was he wanted to meet someone again."

I suddenly had a flashback of what class rep. told me before her left.

'I shall come back when I have become a suitable man for you…' (or…something like that XP)

I just lightly blushed.

'Eep! D-Does that mean he DID change?'

I stood perfectly still in place with beads of sweat quickly sliding down the side of my face while imagining all the possibilities of what he could look like. Utau and Sanjou-san just sweat dropped.

"A-Amu-chan…" Utau said weakly with a straight face.

I just quickly sighed as I tried to clam down. Sanjou-san's phone suddenly beeped, meaning she received a text message.

"Hm?" she said as she flipped it open.

"Gyaahhh!! I got a message form the effects person that the crowd is getting restless!! Utau, we have to go, and I mean NOW!" she said, panicked.

Utau just sighed.

"hai, hai."

She turned around to face me again.

"Ja ne, Amu-chan!" she yelled happily as the window rolled up again.

I just put on a weak smile and waved weakly as the window covered half her face. As soon as the window closed, the car took off. I just stared at it until it disappeared form view, and just sighed.

"What do I do now?"

Ran suddenly popped up in front of with an energy-filled smile.

I just sweat dropped.

'T-That smile she's wearing means that she thought of something totally bizarre again.'

"Why don't we go for a run in the park, Amu-chan?"

"And get sweat and lose all of my energy? No thanks…" I said as I crossed my arms.

"…besides, you don't even run…you fly." I continued under my breath.

Ran just laughed nervously as Suu popped out too.

"Well, the house could use some good cleaning! Desu"

Ran and I just stared at her as we sweat dropped.

"I-I don't think so."

Miki suddenly popped up in front of my face.

"or…we could draw the town form above that cliff!" she said with a smile as she pointed to the huge cliff about a mile form where we were.

Beads of sweat quickly formed behind my head.

"N-no way!"

All of my charas just looked at me with thinking and wondering faces. Ran suddenly put on a big smile and raised a finger in the air as an idea struck her.

"I know!! Since Amu-chan has nothing else to do, why doesn't she work at the café today?"

"hm" I said weakly as I raised my eyebrows at the idea.

"Well, I didn't get to work there for days, so I guess, right now, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea. And the café does get really filled in the weekends…" I said with a finger under my chin.

My charas just smiled.

"…but there's just one problem…"

They looked at me with wondering looks on.

"Hm? And what is that?"

"…I don't want to go all the way back home just to get my uniform!" I whined, saying out the obvious of the obvious.

Ran just crossed her arms.

"Tsk, tsk. Amu-chan's too lazy."

I got a vein on my forehead.

"S-Shut up!"

I widened my eyes a little bit as Miki made a coughing sound. I just faced her.

"Hm? Miki?"

Miki was looking at me with a straight face.

"Amu-chan, it seems that you've forgotten what I could do…"

I thought for a while.

"Oh right! You can make costumes for me!"

Miki just got a vein on her forehead.

"She's talking to me like I'm her personal tailor and costume designer…"

- End of Chapie! -


	19. Chapter 19

- Chapie # 19! –

I walked towards the café, my charas floating beside me. Ran just moaned.

"Amu-chan, are we there yet? I'm tired."

"Oh please, how can you be tired? Now if you were in my shoes and were walking instead of flying, THEN you have the right to complain."

She just moaned again.

"Can't we just fly there?"

"no."

"Why not?"

There was a short silence as I walked along.

"Because we're already here." I said as I pointed at the building in front of us.

Ran just put on a surprised look.

"Wah? I didn't notice that it was just in front of us!"

"That's because you were busy complaining and moaning."

Ran just sweat dropped with a straight face and small smile as I just sighed and stood up straight again as I regained my energy.

"yosh! Miki, do your magic!

"hai!"

- - -

A few seconds later, I was standing outside the shop wearing my improved uniform. This time, I was wearing a black pencil skirt that reached til my knees. The top was an 'off-shoulders' kind of top with small white laces running across the top. I was also wearing a pair of white gloves with cuffs, and a white frilly apron around my waist, and black heels. My hair was straightened, and the hair above my ears on both sides of my head were tied up together behind my head. (Kawaii!! XD)

"M-Miki, you've really outdone yourself!!"

"Amu-chan!! You look so pretty!!" exclaimed Ran excitedly.

Miki was just wearing a straight face and a proud smile. I faced her and put on a smile myself.

"No problem!"

I turned around with my eyes closed and faced the glass door of the café. As soon as I opened the door and opened my eyes again, I saw a glimpse of blue.

- - -

I stopped dead in my tracks and saw Ikuto serving a table of girls, who were staring at him with hearts in their eyes, which sort of pissed me off. He was staring at me as he was about to place a plate on their table. He was also wearing a white, long-sleeved polo, a black vest on top of it, a pair of black pants, and leather shoes. There was a short silence as we just stared at each other.

"I-Ikuto?"

He just put on that smirk again.

"Hey"

"D-Don't you 'hey' me! What are you doi-…"

"Hinamori!!" my boss suddenly yelled happily, cutting me off.

"H-Huh?"

She suddenly appeared in front of me with a smile on her face.

"Gyah!" I yelled weakly as I sweat dropped.

Her eyes widened a bit as she noticed my hair and uniform.

"Hinamori, what have you done to your uniform?..." she asked curiously.

Beads of sweat quickly formed behind my head.

"Uh well, you see…um…"

"…it looks great on you! It matches perfectly with your new hairstyle too! That will definitely attract more customers!"

I just sweat dropped.

"H-Hai." I stuttered with a nervous smile.

"Oh, and by the way…"

"huh?" I said weakly with my eyebrows raised.

"…good job on convincing your boyfriend to work here, since then, the quantity of customers have tripled! You better look forward to that raise I promised you!" she said happily.

My eyes widened.

'What? Ikuto's…seriously gonna work here? but…why? it's not like him to take a part-time job in a café for just any reason…unless it's real important. But what can be THAT important as to make him work here?'

"Um, yeah…I'll be looking forward to i-…"

- PANG –

I started to blush lightly.

"I-Ikuto is not my boyfriend!!" I yelled after my boss who was happily walking away with a smile on her face.

I just sighed with a straight face.

"Hey Amu…" Ikuto said, snapping me back to normal.

"H-Huh?" I stuttered as I faced him.

"…quit slacking off and help me serve the other tables." He said coolly while pointing at the screaming girls behind him.

I just sweat dropped.

"H-Hai…"

- - -

I slowly made my over to a group of girl's table and got a bunch of evil glares along the way. I just sweat dropped and sighed as I stopped in my tracks.

"Guess it's all girls today…" I said weakly.

I faced towards the door right as a male passerby passed by the front of the shop with his hands in his pockets and eyes closed in a cool pose. I just watched him as he continued walking along. He opened one eye as he took a glance in the shop, then both of his eyes popped open and widened as soon as he saw me. I just stared at him with question marks popping up on top of my head. He quickly put on a big smile as he faced towards the inside of the shop and yelled towards no one in particular.

"Hey guys! the pink-haired waitress is back! And she's wearing a cute new uniform too!" I weakly heard him yell through the glass door.

"What?!" "No way!" "Finally!" I heard multiple people say from outside.

I just sweat dropped as countless guys slowly entered the café and come towards me with hearts in their eyes. But before they even got close to me, Ikuto suddenly stepped in front of me making everyone stop.

"Hey, what's with you?" "move out of the way!" people yelled form the distance.

Ikuto just stared at them with an expressionless face.

"hey, if you guys haven't noticed, this is a café…not the J.S. prom, so what's the crowd for?" he said coolly.

I just stared at him with a semi-shocked face as he took a quick glance at me.

"Amu…if these guys give you any trouble, just call me and I'll deal with them…"

I just continued staring at him.

"Ikuto…"

Then he faced back to all of the other guys.

"Right, now to escort you all to your seats, I guess."

Everyone just started complaining.

"What?!" "No way!!"

A huge flame aura suddenly appeared behind Ikuto with his head lowered and bangs over his eyes.

"Any complaints?"

I just sweat dropped as everyone else freaked.

"N-No complaints here!"

- - -

As soon as everyone was seated down, the boss called me and Ikuto over to the counter with a smirk on her face. Me Ikuto just sweat dropped.

"T-That smirk on her face means bad news." I stuttered with a straight face.

"No duh."

Ikuto and I made our way over to the counter then she suddenly started whispering in our ears.

"I finally have the perfect idea on how to greet all the guests who enter the café…" she said in a sly voice.

Then we just sweat dropped while listening to her 'idea'.

- - -

A group of girls and guys pushed open the door of the café while laughing with each other as they entered, but they stopped dead in their tracks and widened their eyes as soon as they took a step inside.

"Konichiwa, welcome to the café." Me and Ikuto said in chorus with a calm voice, our backs leaning against each other and facing the group, holding trays and wearing a weak smile, sparkles in the background. (Wahaha!! Kawaii!!XD)

"KYAAAAA!!"

Both boys and girls had hearts in their eyes as they just stared at me and Ikuto. Ikuto's eyebrows started twitching.

"That damn perverted boss of yours…" he said weakly.

I just sweat dropped.

'Something tells me this is going to be a long day…'

- End of Chapie! -

- - - - - - - - -

btw, plz review!...i kinda get lazy to upload if u guyz dont, lol...gomen XP


	20. Chapter 20

Waaahhh!! gomen for the l8 upload!! i was jus having a MAJOR writer's block. TT-TT

The next chapie will probably cum out l8 too, so i'd lyk 2 apologize in advance...gomen...

--

- Chapie # 20 -

Our shift finally ended as I sighed in relief.

"Finally.." I said weakly as I took a seat in an empty table.

My eyes widened a bit in a wondering look as I watched Ikuto calmly walk towards the male changing room holding a brown paper bag. He turned his head to face me before opening the door.

"you better get changed now…unless you wanna go home looking like that, that is."

I got a vein on my forehead as he walked into the changing room and the door shut behind him.

"Geez…" I moaned angrily as I got up and walked over to the female changing room.

- - -

I got out of the room and sighed.

"Man, what a day…"

I opened my eyes again and saw Ikuto staring at the door with an expressionless face, then he looked at me.

"Finally…you girls take too long in the changing room."

I got a vein on my forehead again.

"S-Shut up! Like you know!"

He just put on a weak smile and turned towards the door.

"C'mon, let's go…"

I just put on a confused look.

"huh? What do you mean 'let's go'? I can go by myself you know, I don't need you to worry about me." I said as I crossed my arms stubbornly.

He just shrugged.

"Of course you can, but after what I've seen today, there's a big possibility that you could get raped out there if you go alone."

I got another vein on my forehead.

"S-Shut up! Like you care what happens to me." I said a si noticed him look at me before I turned around, arms still crossed.

Ikuto just closed his eyes calmly.

"Hm, I guess you're right."

I put on a semi-sad and annoyed look as I heard the door chime and Ikuto's footsteps walk out of the door. As soon as I heard the door close, I uncrossed my arms and faced the door with that look still on my face.

"that Ikuto…" I said weakly.

"Geez Hinamori, Tsukiyomi was just a little concerned about you, you didn't have to say it like that." My boss said form behind the counter.

I just took a quick glance at her then faced back towards the door. I quickly ran out of the shop with a worried look and stopped, panting, as soon as I was outside, and looked both left and right.

'Geez, how fast can that guy walk?' I asked myself, still panting.

"You looking for someone?" Said a familiar voice from somewhere behind me.

I turned around and faced a little to the left and saw Ikuto on a tree branch. I gave out a weak 'eep!' and quickly crossed my arms stubbornly again.

"N-No one in particular…" I said with beads of sweat behind my head.

He just shrugged and jumped down in front of me with his hands in his pockets and eyes closed.

"Whatever." He said calmly as he turned around and started walking away.

I just watched him as he walked a few inches then put on a semi-worried look.

"I-Ikuto!!" I yelled as I chased after him and grabbed and hugged him by the arm while lightly blushing.

He looked down at me with a semi-shocked face.

"T-This doesn't mean that I WANT to walk home with you okay?..." I stuttered as I looked up at him, still lightly blushing.

"…I-I'm…just a little worried about what you said earlier."

There was a short silence before Ikuto put on a weak smile and looked up at the dark sky.

"Fine, do whatever you want…"

I just stared at him then put on a weak smile myself as we started to walk along together.

- - -

Ikuto and I passed under a light post as we walked down the sidewalk. It was already 7:00 pm, so the roads were pretty dark. I didn't even notice that I was still holding onto Ikuto's arm until I started to feel a little scared, but I kept clinging onto him anyway. I slightly tightened my grip around his arm, blushing as I did, hoping that he wouldn't notice, then I lowered my head a little bit.

"I-Ikuto…"

"nani?" he asked calmly as we walked along.

"…I just wanted to ask you, why did you take a part-time job at the café anyway?" I asked weakly.

He just stayed silent for a while then looked up at the sky.

"Well…I just need the money to save up for a very special occasion…that's all."

I just thought for a while.

'That's right, Utau's birthday is coming up in a couple of months! That must be what he's saving up for.'

"Is it because of Utau's upcoming birthday?"

Ikuto just stayed silent for a while then shrugged.

"think whatever you want..."

I just stared at him with a wondering look on.

"Oh, and I also got a job there because I heard your boss' offer of giving you a raise if I did…"

I just sweat dropped.

'I-Isn't that supposed to be a reason why you SOULDN'T work there?' I thoguth to myself.

"…I guess…I also wanted you to have that raise to pay you back for that chocolate cat." He continued.

I stared at him with a semi-shocked face.

"But…why? That was your birthday present, you didn't have to pay me back for it."

He just stayed silent for a while.

"I just felt like doing it."

My eyes widened at his response, then I slowly formed a weak smile as I faced back forward.

"Do whatever you want, it's not like I care anyway." I said with a clam voice.

He looked down at me with a semi-surprised face, then slowly formed a weak smile himself and let a 'hm' sound escape his lips as he faced back forward too.

"I guess you're right…"

- - -

Soon enough, we made it to my house. I just sighed as I took a quick glance at it then faced Ikuto, who was looking down at his arm which I was still holding on to. I gave out another weak 'eep!' and let go of his arm as I started blushing lightly. He just out on a weak smile as he faced me.

"you weren't doing that because you were afraid, right?"

My eyes widened a bit as I faced him and blushed, ten fold.

"B-be quiet, baka! I did that because…I was just a…little scared." I lied unconsciously as I lowered my head a little while still blushing.

He just let a 'hm' sound escape his lips and placed a hand on top of my head as I widened my eyes a little bit.

"hai, hai. I was just kidding. Geez, you really can't take a joke, can't you?"

I raised my head to look up at him and put on a weak smile as I lowered my head a little bit again.

"C'mon, you better get in there now or the old man will start to worry." He said calmly.

I just looked up at him again and gave out a weak laugh.

"Hai."

He slowly removed his hand form my head and smiled back at me weakly. I took one last glance at him before turning around and walking towards my house. As soon as I was in front of the door, I outstretched my arm towards the doorknob but stopped halfway. I just stood there for a few seconds before I turned around again to see Ikuto, but when I did, he wasn't there anymore, and I just stared into the empty space.

'Geez, how fast can that guy actually go?' I asked myself.

I just sighed as I turned towards the door, then suddenly heard someone's voice.

"Ja ne…Amu."

My eyes widened a bit as I quickly turned to my right and saw a chara changed Ikuto on top of a fence, bent down and was about to jump off and he just flashed me a weak smile before doing so. I just stood there and watched a she jumped from house to house with the natural reflexes of a cat and I just sighed.

'That Ikuto…never fails to surprise me…' I thought with a smile before I opened the door and walked in.

- - -

I walked inside the house with my eyes closed in a clam way.

"Sorry I'm late." I said to no on e in particular.

Then I suddenly put on a shocked face as papa suddenly hugged me out of nowhere with tears rolling down his face.

"Waaahhh!! What took you so long, Amu-chan? I thought you were only going out to eat with Hoshina-san for a short while!! Yet you come home so late!! You might have been easily raped out there, you know!!" He yelled in panic.

"P-Papa!" I yelled as I tried to push him away.

'G-Geez, what's with all the thoughts of me being raped today?!'

"I-It just turned out longer than I expected, that's all!!"

He just kept whining as tears continued rolling down his face. I just sweat dropped.

'Okay, relax Amu…you can find a way out of this…somehow…'

- End of Chapie! –

--

btw, plz review!! XD

Oh yah!! i'd also lyk 2 apologize abawt all the chapies i've uploaded...i noe it's a lot, so i'll try to lessen the chapies as much as possible!! --


	21. Chapter 21

Okay, REALLY sorry 4 d l8 upload. The only reason why the other chapters came out faster was because i already jotted that stuff down in my (very very thick) notebook. But when my typing caught up wiht my writing, the uploads came up real slow (Geez...right after i made my promise too...--). And the writer's block doesn't help at all either...so please excuse the l8 eploads...P

- - - - - - - - - 

- Chapie # 21! –

I sighed as I walked up to my room with a straight face.

"I actually made it out of there alive…" I said to myself weakly.

I just told papa that Ami was singing his favorite song in the kitchen, and he quickly grabbed his camera and zipped off.

"Ami-chan? Where are you?" I heard papa yell form the kitchen.

"Ssh, papa. Ami's already asleep!" whisper-yelled mama.

"Eh?! That quick?! I Amu-chan just told me she was singing here just a few seconds ago! Look! I even brought my camera.

I just sweat dropped as I continued walking upstairs. As soon as I was in my room, I shut the door behind me I sighed. Ran was flying on top of my bed with a smile on her face.

"Sugoi!! This normal and boring day suddenly turned into a date with Ikuto-kun!! And it was all thanks to me!!"

Miki and Suu just stared at her with straight faces.

"No one likes a good show-off, Ran."

I just stared at Ran with beads of sweat behind my head.

"B-Be quiet!! Today was SO not a date with that cat!! He just walked me home, that's it!!" I stuttered.

Ran just continued flying above my bed while humming to herself with a big smile on her face. I just sweat dropped.

"She's not listening…"

Suu suddenly popped up in front of my face with a wondering look on.

"By the way Amu-chan, who is it that you really love? You seem to have really close ties to all three of Ikuto-kun, Souma-kun, and Tadase-kun! So I was wondering who it really is that you loved so that Suu can cheer you on!"

My eyes widened as my chest suddenly felt heavy and I placed a hand over it. I suddenly bent down on the floor with my head lowered. (heheh, I juz typed dat in coz my chest felt heavy too wen my frend asked me who was it that I liked between 2 boys…but the bending down part wuz juz 4 drama…XP gomen if it wuz 2 kornii!!)

"Amu-chan!!" All my charas yelled in panic.

'W-What happened? My chest suddenly felt so heavy…' I thought to myself.

"Suu, what did you do?" Miki asked panic.

"Waahhh!! Gomen Amu-chan!! I'll never ask that question again!!"

My eyes just widened some more.

'The question?...what did the…Why did that question have such a hard impact?'

I slowly got up, hand still on my chest.

"D-Don't blame her…I-I'm fine." I said shakily.

All my charas just looked at me with worried faces.

"Amu-chan…"

- - -

I suddenly woke up in the middle of night and just stared at the moonlight shining through my window.

'Why did I wake up in the middle of the night?...' I asked myself.

I just sighed.

'…great, now it's gonna take me forever to get back to sleep again.'

I slowly sat up straight and closed my eyes with a sigh. As soon as I opened them up again, I saw Suu looking at me with a worried look through a crack in her egg.

"Suu? Didn't you sleep?"

She just shook her head lightly.

"I was worried about Amu-chan since that happened to her because of Suu." She said weakly.

I just put on a weak smile as I let a 'hm' sound escape my lips.

"Get over here…" I told here in a calm voice.

She just opened her eyes in a wondering look as she flew over to me and sat down on top of my head.

"Baka, this isn't your fault…"

"Eh? If it wasn't Suu's fault, then what happened to Amu-chan?" she asked curiously.

I just thought for a while.

"Well, to tell you the truth…I don't really know…My chest just suddenly felt heavy…and I'm not really used to that kind of feeling, you know. I've never had this feeling before actually. I don't know why…it just had to happen now." I said calmly as I looked up at the ceiling.

Suu looked at me and thought for a while.

"Ahah! Amu-chan has a BOY problem doesn't she? That's why she reacted to the question!" Suu exclaimed all excited.

"N-Nani?! How do you know that?! Even I don't!!"

Suu just winked an eye and raised a finger in front of her face.

"Just a little something I picked up form Eru-chan before she left!"

I sweat dropped.

"I-I see."

"…But I really can't help Amu-chan with the problem, I can only tell it."

"Huh? Why is that?" I asked curiously.

"Because I'm no the love expert, Eru-chan is!!"

I just sweat dropped again and sighed

"Hai, hai…now come on, we better get to sleep."

She just saluted with a big smile on her face.

"Hai!!"

- - -

My alarm suddenly went off and vibrated rapidly on top of my drawer as I slowly opened my eyes and blinked a few times then just stared at it sleepily.

"Oh right, Today's already Monday."

I sighed.

'Geez, where'd the weekend suddenly go?' I asked myself as I slowly sat up straight on my bed.

I suddenly widened my eyes in a wondering look as I placed a finger under my chin.

"Hm, now that I think about it…I spent my whole weekend with the 2 Tsukiyomi's…" I said to myself weakly.

"…both of them on both days…the 2 siblings, Ikuto Tsukiyomi…and Utau Tsukiyomi…" I continued unconsciously as I lowered my head a little.

I suddenly shut my eyes tightly and shook my head. As soon as I stopped, I opened up my eyes and put on a straight face.

'I think it's better if I just continue calling her 'Hoshina Utau' rather than 'Tsukiyomi Utau'…it kind of pisses me off.'

I suddenly realized what I just thought and shook my head quickly again.

'Matte!! That's not the reason I don't wanna call her 'Tsukiyomi Utau'!! I-I'm just not used to it, that's all!! T-That's right I'm just not used to saying her real name!!' I stuttered to myself.

I just sighed as I stared at Ran, Suu, and Miki's eggs.

"Well, guess it's off to school…"

- - -

I calmly made my way through the hallway, searching for my classroom.

'Eto…where was my room again?'

I closed my eyes and sighed as I just continued walking along.

'Why does the middle school building have to be so bi-…'

I was cut off when I bumped into someone and fell flat on my bum.

"Ouch…" I whined weakly as I lightly rubbed the side of my hip.

"Ah, gomen…I was sort of in a rush." The other person said as he offered me his hand.

"Y-Yeah, you should watch where you're going you know…" I said as I put on my 'cool & spicy' attitude again.

I widened my eyes a little and stared at his hand then slowly looked up to his face. Tadase-kun was staring at me with wide eyes himself, then he quickly put on his normal and kiddy cute smile.

"Ah, If it isn't Amu-chan!! Ohayo-gosaimas."

I lightly blushed as I quickly got up to my feet with beads of sweat behind my head.

"O-Ohayo, Tadase-kun." I stuttered.

He just smiled at me with a semi-confused look, trying to come up with an idea to talk about.

"Ah! That's right, did you hear? Sanjou-kun is coming back here in a couple more days!"

I just widened my eyes and let a 'huh?' sound escape my lips.

"How did you know? Did Sanjou-san tell you about it too?" I asked him curiously.

"Eto…no actually…Nikaidou sensei told me while I was passing by the elementary school building."

"Eh? He knows about it too?!"

Tadase-kun just shrugged with a weak smile.

"I guess Sanjou-kun is just popular that way."

- End of Chapie! -

- - - - - - - - - -

so...nothing much happened in this chapie...but u gotta understand, a fanfic (or any other story or anything actually) needs some build-up, or sorta like a filler chapie XP. But the chapies near the ending will make up for it (hopefully).


	22. Chapter 22

btw, i'd like to thank Mitsuki Sakura Uchiha for tellin me dat Amu actually calls 'Souma-kun' Kukai...heheh, guess i was thinking of Tadase that time (no, i'm not a Tadase fanatic, but i add him anyway.) Guess Souma-kun kinda sounded better XP.

Anyway, enjoy!!^^

---------------------------

- Chapie # 22! –

I sighed as I sat in my place and looked out the window. I was just glad that I, literally, bumped into Tadase-kun, or nobody would've helped me find my way to the classroom. I took a glance at Tadase-kun who was laughing with his other male friends. I just put on a weak smile on how happy he looked. Sensei suddenly walked in the room as everyone else hurried back to their seats.

"All right class, turn your textbooks to page 23."

I just sighed as I grabbed my history textbook from my bag.

'And yet another long day…'

* - * - * - *

As soon as school was over, I quickly grabbed my bag and speed walked towards the door.

'Finally…'

"Yo, Hinamori!" Kukai suddenly exclaimed happily as he hit me playfully on the back.

"K-Kukai!" I stuttered.

"Hey! Long time no see!"

I sweat dropped.

"But Kukai, we just met yesterday…"

"Exactly!! Do you know how long that is for me?" he said as he stuck out his lips in a childish way and crossed his arms.

I sweat dropped again.

"C'mon!! What are you waiting for? Let's go!!" He yelled excitedly as I grabbed my hand and I lightly blushed.

He suddenly ran out of the school and down the sidewalk as he dragged me along like a rag doll.

"WAAAHHHH!! K-K-K-ukai!! Where are we going?!?!" I yelled with swirls in my eyes.

"Just follow me!!"

'…I wish I could…if my feet could actually touch the ground!'

* - * - * - *

Kukai suddenly stopped running, making me bump into his back and instinctively hug him form behind to support myself while slightly blushing as I realized what I did. Kukai looked towards me with a semi-surprised look, then he quickly put on a big grin.

"Why Hinamori, I didn't know you felt that way about me." He said teasingly.

A weak 'eep!' escaped my lips as little beads of sweat formed behind my head and I blushed ten fold. Then I quickly let go of him and crossed my arms stubbornly.

"B-Be quiet!! Who's fault did you think that was?!" I stuttered.

He just widened his playful grin.

"Point taken…"

I opened my eyes and looked around.

"Kukai, what are we doing in the park?" I asked a si faced him.

I noticed that he was, very weakly, blushing while rubbing the back of his head and wore a weak smile.

"Well, I kinda wanted to go out with you after school for a while, since we only met yesterday by coincidence."

I just stared at him then put on a weak smile.

"Geez, you could've just asked like a normal person you know."

He let out a weak laugh then a big grin.

"Yeah, but it looked like you were in a rush to go somewhere…so you probably wouldn't even notice me if I just simply talked to you."

I sweat dropped.

"That didn't mean you had to DRAG me here…" I said to myself weakly.

"A-Anyway, since we're here…what do you want to do?" I stuttered as I forced on a weak smile.

He thought for a while.

"Wanna get some ice cream?"

I widened my eyes a bit in a wondering look as I stared at him.

"Ice cream?"

He put on another big grin and faced me.

"Yeah! I noticed that every time we're together, there's always someone joining in. I wanted today to be just the 2 of us, so I kinda wanted to repeat yesterday again but with no one but you this time."

I lightly blushed as he finished the sentence, but quickly turned around and crossed my arms stubbornly with an annoyed face, still blushing.

"I-If that's all there is…let's just get that ice cream already." I stuttered as a bead of sweat slid down the side of my face.

He just put on a weak smile and let a 'hm' sound escape his lips.

"That stubborn attitude of yours is really cute you know."

I blushed ten fold as an eyebrow started twitching. Kukai suddenly put on a big grin again and started getting pumped up.

"Yosh! Let's go!" He said before grabbing my hand again and dashed through the park.

* - * - * - *

I started panting in front of a bench while holding my ice cream in one hand.

"Geez, that guy didn't even have any banana splits." Kukai complained as he stared at his pistachio ice cream with a straight face.

I sweat dropped.

'Of course he doesn't…' I thought to myself as I shakily took a seat on the bench.

Kukai just shrugged as he closed his eyes calmly.

"Well, whatever…if I get to spend time with you alone, that's just fine with me." He said as he took a seat beside me.

I lightly blushed as I lowered my head a little to look at my ice cream.

'What's wrong with me? Why do I keep blushing? It's not like I have any romantic feeling for Kukai, right?'

I tried to brush the thought away as I licked my ice cream.

"Hinamori…"

I widened my eyes a little as I stopped licking my ice cream and faced Kukai.

"H-Hai?"

His head was lowered as he just looked at his ice cream, and there was a short silence.

"…do you have someone you like?"

I widened my eyes even more in surprise.

"K-Kukai, what's this all of a sudden?"

He just took a glance at me and put on a weak smile.

"Oh, just wondering."

I blushed ten fold as beads of sweat formed behind my head.

"I-It's not like YOU need to know about that!!" I stuttered as I crossed my arms stubbornly and put on an annoyed face.

Kukai just looked at me with an expressionless face, his elbow on his lap and cheek resting behind his hand. He slowly put on a weak smile.

"Hm, I guess you're right…gomen."

I half-opened my eyes in a semi-sad and annoyed look and sighed.

"Geez, and I thought that this would just be a normal date." I sighed to myself.

"Oh, this was supposed to be a date?" Kukai said with a big grin.

Beads of sweat quickly formed behind my head as I started blushing.

"O-Of course not!! I didn't mean THAT kind of date!!"

"Oh really?"

I put on another annoyed look and started licking my ice cream again.

"T-Think whatever you want."

He just smiled at me and licked his ice cream as well.

* - * - * - *

Kukai and I spent the rest of the day laughing and walking around the park. It was like we were an actual couple. After he dropped me home, I moaned as soon as I laid down flat on my bed.

'My body aches all over…' I complained in my head.

I just laid there for some time before slowly reaching for my phone on top of the drawer. I stared at it before typing in a short message. Then I pushed in 'send' and sighed as I placed my phone back on top of my drawer and soon enough, started snoring.

)(Normal POV)(

Kukai started taking off his shirt to change into his home clothes. As soon as his shirt was off, his cell phone started to beep. He widened his eyes in a wondering look as he grabbed it and read the message.

'Thanks for today…I had fun'

He simply put on a weak smile and let a 'hm' sound escape his lips.

"Hinamori…"

- End of Chapie! -


	23. Chapter 23

gomen if u guyz didn't lyk d last chapie....i juz cudnt think of wat amu wud do for d rest of the day....and i kinda wanted to wryt dat 4 all d kukamu fans, but i shudve known that all of you guys were amuto fans -__-"

Anyway, gomen again....

enjoy!!^^

--------------------------------

- Chapie # 23! –

          A week passed by quickly as I woke up yet again to my cell ringtone. I half-opened my eyes sleepily as I stared at it vibrate on top of my drawer, and was that…eye bugs under my eyes? Heh, no surprise there…Utau rang me up in the middle of the night to tell how excited she was about her first studio recording after she quit Easter. She talked on for hours!! I sighed as I reached for it and pushed in 'answer'.

"moshi…moshi" I lazily mumbled.

"H-Hinamori!? What happened to you?! You sound like the devil kept you up all night!!" Sanjou-san stuttered from the other end.

I sweat dropped.

'If only you knew'

I heard Sanjou-san cough on the other end before she started speaking again.

"A-Anyway, as you probably know, Utau has a studio recording today and I have to be there with her as her manager. So I won't be able to come with you to pick up Kairi at the airport."

"W-Wait, Kairi? Airport? What are you talking about?" I quickly stuttered as my eye bugs magically vanished and I sat up straight on my bed.

"Hinamori?...Don't tell me you forgot that Kairi's coming back here today…"

Beads of sweat quickly formed behind my head.

"O-Of course not!! I-I was just…shocked that you said it so early in the morning, that's all!!" I quickly stuttered.

"Geez, Hinamori…you're so forgetful."

I just sighed.

"Okay, you got me."

"Anyway, I'll send a car over to pick you up and drop you to the airport…"

"No, no…it's fine, I can get there myself. Anyway, gotta get going now…bye."

"H-Hinamori-san!! Wait!! There'll be someone else that will be waiting for you at the airport in my pla-…" I heard Sanjou-san quickly stuttered as I pushed the 'end talk' button.

I sighed again as I got changed and held Ran's egg in my hand.

"Ran, let's go."

Ran suddenly popped out of her egg with a big smile on her face.

"Hai!!"

I chara nari'd with Ran then jumped out of the balcony to head off to the airport.

)(Sanjou-san POV)(

          I sweat dropped as I stared at my cell phone.

"She hung up on me."

"What happened, Sanjou-san? Did you tell her that someone else would be waiting for her at the airport?" Utau asked me as she fixed her hair in front of a mirror.

I just sighed as I faced her.

"Oh well, she'll find out by herself."

)(Amu POV)(

          I undid my chara nari in front of the airport as soon as I thought that nobody was facing my way and a bead of sweat slid down the side of my face as I sighed.

'Geez, why did I have to go alone?' I complained as I walked into the airport.

I walked in with my eyes closed in an exhausted way and moaned.

"Hey, watch where you're going will you? You might bump into a luggage cart or something." Someone said as he flicked me on the forehead, snapping me out of dreamland.

"H-Huh?" I stuttered as I popped my eyes open.

I suddenly saw Ikuto in front of me wearing a pair of black and gray camo pants (the semi-baggy types), a short-sleeved, open, blue jacket, and a black T-shirt underneath with headphones around his neck. (Omg!! Hawtnes alert!! Juz imagine him wearin dat!! X3)

"I-Ikuto?! What are you doing here?!" I stuttered as I pointed at him with beads of sweat behind my head.

"What? Didn't Old lady Sanjou tell you that I'd take her place here today?...and I told you, stop stuttering my name every time you see me." He said the last few words under his breath.

I widened my eyes in a wondering look as I thought for a while and suddenly remembered what Sanjou-san yelled out before I hung up.

'There'll be someone else that will be waiting for you at the airport in my pla-…'

I sweat dropped.

"Well, she did…sort of."

Ikuto just shrugged.

"Whatever, now c'mon…let's get to the waiting room already." He said calmly as he turned around with his hands in his pockets and started walking.

I just watched his back as he walked towards the room, and sighed.

'Of all people…' I thought as I slowly followed behind him.

As soon as we were in the waiting room I quickly sat down, exhausted, and sighed.

"What? Tired already?" You really are lazy." He said as he stood in front of me.

I quickly got a vein on my forehead as I faced him.

"S-Shut up!! I didn't get much sleep last night!!" I yelled while holding my knees.

I noticed that he widened his eyes a little as he closed mines, annoyed, and faced down to my knees. He just stared at me for a while and there was a short silence.

"How was I supposed to know that, baka." He said as he flicked my forehead again and sat down beside me.

"O-Ow, Stop doing that will you?!" I stuttered as I placed a hand over it.

"Stop what?" He asked, uninterested, with his eyes closed and elbows on top of the back of the chair and the rest of his lower arm hanging beside him. (you know the way he normally sits!! I just can't describe it right. -__-")

"Flicking my head!!"

"Oh, you mean this…" He said before flicking my head for the 3rd time.

"S-Stop it!!"

He just gave out a weak laugh before placing his headphones properly on his head and closed his eyes calmly. I just stared at him with a twitching eyebrow then crossed my arms stubbornly as I faced back forward, eyes closed. We just stayed like that and silent as minutes passed by.

'Geez, How long is Kairi's plane actually gonna take?' I thought as I sighed with a straight face.

I widened my eyes in a wondering look as my cell phone started beeping. I grabbed it from my pocket and read a text message I received from Sanjou-san.

'You're probably wondering why Kairi's plane is taking so long, right? Yeah, I kinda forgot to tell you that his flight was delayed by an hour, but hey, that was so not my fault!! You hung up so quick that even if I did remember, I wouldn't have time to say it!! But look on the bright side…you can use this time on something sweet with Tsukiyomi…(yes, Utau told me about it.)'

I got a vein on my forehead as I finished reading the text message.

'U-Utau…' I thought in the creepiest voice possible.

I suddenly widened my eyes in realization.

'Wait, did she say 1 HOUR?!...geez, just when I woke up so early in the morning too!'

I took a glance at Ikuto whose eyes were only half-open with boredom as he let out a weak yawn. I just put on a weak smile.

'Geez, he's sleepy already…'

Ikuto's eyes slowly started to close. Soon enough, he was sitting there quietly asleep. I just sighed as I faced back forward. After a few seconds, I gave out a weak 'eep!' as I noticed Ikuto start to lean closer to me, his mouth only slightly ajar while he slept. (Kawaii!! X3)

'No, no…please no!!' I thought as countless beads of sweat slid down behind my head.

I tried to nudge away from him, even at least a little, but Ikuto's head slowly made it on my shoulder.

'it happened!!'

I just took a glance at him sleeping on my shoulder, his blue hair softly spread over it. I just put on a weak smile as I lightly moved the bangs from his eyes with my free hand.

'Hm, he looks so cute like this…if only he could stay like this for a little more…'

I moved my hand down his face and lightly touched his lower lip with my thumb.

'…Geez, he must've been really bored.'

Looking at him sort of made me feel sleepy myself. I let out a weak yawn as I tried to stay awake. I didn't even notice that my eyes were slowly starting to close. Soon enough, I found myself sleeping too…my head beside Ikuto's.

* - * - * - *

          I woke up to the sound of the voice coming from the loud speaker.

'Flight # 6 has just arrived in gate 23, repeat…'

I lightly rubbed the sleep form my eyes as I blinked a few times. I noticed that Ikuto was still asleep on my shoulder. I slowly lifted my head as I glanced at my watch.

'Geez, I only slept for about…30 minutes.'

I looked back at Ikuto then moved his hair away from his eyes again. My body started to feel stiff after sitting down for 30 minutes straight. I wanted to stretch out for a bit, but Ikuto was still on my shoulder. I just sighed as I slowly placed my hands on his face because I wanted to gently lift it so that I could get up, but as soon as I placed one hand on his cheek, he slowly half-opened his eyes.

"Where are you going?" He asked calmly as he placed his hand over mine.

I lightly blushed as another bead of sweat slid down the side of my face.

"I-I wanted to get up" was all that could come out of my mouth.

He just closed his eyes again and lightly tightened his grip on my hand.

"Stay here for a bit…I'm still a little sleepy" he said weakly.

I just blushed, ten fold.

'W-What is this?...' I thought as I just stared at him and felt my heart beat.

'…how did the situation turn out like this?'

I kept thinking of an excuse to get up, but nothing came to mind. There was a short silence before I finally thought of something.

"…I need to go to the bathroom, bad."

(Written in the background - . . . . )

Ikuto slowly let go of my hand and lifted his head from my shoulder.

"that's a good enough excuse, Just make sure you hurry up."

I quickly got up and ran to the nearest female's bathroom, leaving Ikuto behind me, staring a my back.

- End of Chapie! -

------------------------------------------

btw, if u hav a crunchroll acocunt, add me up!!^^

the name's still katkat15...


	24. Chapter 24

Waaahhhh!! gomen!! soryr 4 yet again, ANOTHER majorly l8 upload. I was actually suposed to upload dis chapie yestarday...but my mom didn't keep her eyes off me for a second and kept checking on what i was doing (she hates it when i type these chappies. she says it's a 'total waste of time') that sent chills down my spine -shivers-

anywayzz....make sure u give some credit to too for helping me out in the middle of this chappie. Seriously...if it wasn't for her, i probably wudn't have been able 2 upload dis chapie yet -__-".

lollz...anyway, here's chapie 24!!^^

-------------------------------------------------

- Chapie # 24! –

I turned the faucet on as the water quickly rushed out and I washed my face as I heard water splash in the sink. I stopped for a while and stared at the tiny water droplets on my hand and sighed.

"Geez, that Ikuto can be so selfish sometimes." I said to myself weakly.

A tiny droplet slowly down to my lip as I lightly wiped it off with my thumb and looked at myself in the mirror.

'…but…that's the same selfish guy that stole my first kiss too…' I thought as I lightly blushed.

My eyes widened a bit and beads of sweat formed behind my head as I realized what I said.

'Waaahhh!! What am I thinking?!'

I quickly washed my face again and turned the faucet off as soon as I calmed down, then I slowly grabbed a napkin from a napkin dispenser beside me and wiped my face. I slowly stopped and covered the bottom half of my face as I looked at myself in the mirror again and sighed.

"Guess I better get going now…" I said weakly as I threw the napkin in a garbage bin and made my way to the door.

As soon as I was out of the bathroom, I looked back at my seat and saw Ikuto's seat empty beside mine's.

'Eh? Where'd that cat go?' I said as I walked over to the waiting room.

I just sighed as I sat back down with my hands on my knees.

'Geez, he should know better than to walk around the airport by himself…I don't think he even really knows his way around here.'

A few seconds later, Ikuto suddenly threw a pork bun in a plastic bag on my lap as I widened my eyes in a wondering look and looked up at him. He was just staring the other way calmly with his hands in his pockets.

"Eat it up, you're probably hungry by now, right?"

I widened my eyes a bit more then looked at the pork bun again and lift it up to my chest.

"But…Where's yours?" I asked as I faced back at him.

He just stayed silent for a while before he replied.

"I was kinda short on cash…but that's fine, I wasn't hungry anyway." He said as he sat back down beside me.

I just looked at him with a straight face.

"Geez, are you really that poor?"

He got a vein on his forehead as an eyebrow started twitching and he faced the other way.

"Airport food is surprisingly more expensive than those you buy in normal shops, you know."

I just put on a weak smile as I slowly opened up the plastic bag and reached for the pork bun inside. Ikuto suddenly put on a semi-surprised look as I placed the pork bun near his mouth and I just wore a smile.

"Eat up, I can tell when you're hungry you know."

He just quietly stared at me before saying anything.

"What are you doing?"

I widened my eyes in a wondering look and I just looked at him.

"Huh? Oh…well, I don't really feel comfortable eating something that you used up all your money on…so if you eat it with me…maybe I'd feel a little more comfortable." I said while lightly blushing.

His eyes widened a little in a semi-surprised look, then he slowly put on a weak smile.

"Geez, what am I going to do with you…" he said in a calm voice as he lightly held my hand and slowly brought it closer to his face and took a small bite out of the pork bun in my hand.

All I could do was blush ten fold as I watched him slowly separate his lips from the bread, but still held on to my hand.

"Hm…I don't really like pork buns…"

"Eh? Then…why did you eat it?"

He just put on a weak smile before he replied.

"Because you offered it…"

I blushed a shade of scarlet red as he placed his fingers under my chin and lifted my face in front of his.

"…now c'mon, don't expect me to eat all of this up." He calmly said before he tore off a small piece of the bread and placed it on my lips.

I just stared at him with shaking eyes before I slightly opened my mouth to allow the bread in, and as soon as I closed it, Ikuto's finger softly landed on my lips, then he put on a weak smile.

"That's a good girl," he said teasingly as he lightly rubbed my lower lip with his finger.

As soon as he separated his finger from my lip, he slowly brought it up to his face and licked it with one eye open. (KYAAAAA!!XD)

"Hm…at least it's not a pork bun."

I stared at him with my face tomato red and beads of sweat behind my head.

"P-P-Pervert!!"

He let out a weak laugh.

"You actually said it…I thought you were going to insist on holding it back, otherwise, I would've done something more than what you expected."

I blushed ten fold (if possible) with an annoyed look.

"Pervert, pervert, pervert!!!" I kept yelling out as he just continued laughing weakly.

* - * - * - *

'Flight # 9 has arrived in gate 6, repeat…'

I widened my eyes as I listened to the loudspeaker.

"Ikuto, that's Kairi's flight!!" I said to Ikuto who was listening to his headphones with his eyes closed.

I just sweat dropped.

"I-Ikuto!!"

He slowly opened one eye and looked at me.

"What is it, you didn't have to shout, you know." He said calmly.

I lightly blushed as a vein popped up on my forehead.

"Yeah right!! Now c'mon, Kairi's plane is finally here!!" I said as I grabbed his hand and dragged him near the glass gate where the passengers would pass by.

I jus stared through the gate with a concerned face as I let go of Ikuto's hand.

"Hm, you're pretty excited to see the little shrimp again, aren't you?" he asked me with his eyes closed in a calm look, wearing a very weak smile and his hands in his pockets.

I put on an annoyed look.

"Well, unlike you, Kairi's a real friend." I said as I just continued looking through the gate.

He just stayed silent for a while before letting a 'hm' sound escape his lips.

"So that's how it is."

My eyes widened as I heard Ikuto walk away and I turned around with a worried look.

'Maybe…I said too much.' I thought as I lowered my head a little.

"Joker?"

I heard someone say from beside me.

I widened my eyes in a wondering look and faced to my right.

I saw Kairi standing there in a green shirt and a pair of white pants, carrying his luggage.

"K-Kairi?..."

We just stood there, staring at each other before I put on a weak smile.

"Welcome back."

He put on a semi-surprised face, then put on a weak smile himself.

"Thanks…"

I suddenly thought about Ikuto again, and how I made him feel bad, and I just lowered my head again.

"Kairi…"

"Huh?" he said as he faced towards me.

I just silently stood there for a while before slowly walking towards him.

"J-Joker?"

I slowly hugged him and placed my head over his shoulder. I noticed other people starting to stare at us, but I just ignored it.

"Gomen…do you mind if we stay like this for a while?"

I could tell that he was lightly blushing before he said anything.

"O-Of course…not"

He said calmly before he slowly hugged me back by the waist, and we stayed like that for a few seconds.

)(Normal POV)(

Ikuto was just watching both of them form a fair distance away with an expressionless face and hands in his pockets as Yoru suddenly popped up from behind him.

"Nyaaa, Ikuto!! Aren't you gonna do anything about that?!" he asked all annoyed.

Ikuto just lowered his head a little as he put on a very weak smile.

"Why will I do anything?..." he said as he turned around and started to walk away.

"…He's…'a real friend'."

* - * - * - *

As soon as Kairi and I finally got a cab, I helped him with his luggage and placed it in the back of the car.

"Eto, Kairi…sorry about what I did back then…I know it was a little awkward."

He just put on a weak smile.

"That's okay, I'll just think of that as a welcoming hug…by the way, did something happen before I arrived that caused you to do that?" He asked curiously as he faced me.

"Huh? Oh…not really. I just felt a little down, that's all." I said with a weak smile as I lowered my head a little.

"Hm, I see. You just happened to feel down just when I got here…seems way too coincidental, don't you think?" he said with a straight face and a forced smile as he shut the back of the cab.

Beads of sweat quickly formed behind my head.

"E-Eh?! N-No!! I didn't mean it that way!!"

He just put on another weak smile again as he fixed his glasses with one finger.

"Hai, hai. I'm just glad I got to see you again after all this time."

All I could do was lightly blushed as he faced me.

"Well, c'mon. Let's get in the cab already."

I put on a weak smile myself and just simply nodded.

"Hai!"

- End of Chapie! -


	25. Chapter 25

And yet...ANOTHER...late upload. Uploads are really slow nowadays ryt?? lol XD

Anyway......since d name of d girl i wanted 2 thank didnt show up, i'll try agen in this chappie.

make sure to also give credit to for helping out halfway with the last chappie...der...hope it shows up. i even made her name bold and underlined and everything. lol XD

-------------------------------------------------

- Chapie # 25! –

The cab drove off as me and Kairi just quietly sat beside each other staring out the window. All I could do was think about a topic to talk about as we passed by some tall buildings.

"Eto…Kairi, what was your reason for coming back here, anyway?" I asked curiously as I faced him.

He widened his eyes in a wondering look and let a 'hm' sound escape his lips as he faced me too.

"What? You don't remember?"

Question marks popped up from behind me as I placed a finger under my chin and put on a confused look.

"Huh? Remember what?"

He just let out a weak laugh before replying.

"Never mind, I'm sure you'll remember soon."

I sweat dropped.

"What will I remember soon?"

* - * - * - *

The cab finally stopped in front of Kairi's house as I sighed and we both got out. We walked towards the back and lift the back lid of the car to get Kairi's luggage.

"Kairi, I noticed that you haven't changed much during the last year, huh?" I asked as I lifted up his bag.

"Eh? Oh…I-I'd like to apologize about that, especially since I made you that promise before I left." He said as he lowered his head and faced towards his bag.

I looked at him with a wondering look then put on a weak smile.

"No, I didn't mean it that way! I'm actually glad that you didn't change much, class rep.!"

He looked at me then put on a weak smile himself.

"there you again with that nickname." He said as I just let out a weak laugh.

"Hey, this is my get-back for you calling me 'Joker' as soon as we met back at the airport!"

Then he let out a weak laugh himself and then put on a smile.

"Well, you got me back good alright."

* - * - * - *

I sighed as I plopped down flat on my bed and buried my face in a pillow.

"Waahhh!! Kairi finally came back!!" Ran excitedly exclaimed as she floated on top of me.

"yeah, it would've been a perfect day if Ikuto didn't just walk out all moody like that." Miki said with a straight face.

"Hm, I'm sure Ikuto-kun has his reasons." Said Suu before she took a sip of her tea from a cup.

"yeah, but what could be the reason of his sudden walk-out?" asked Ran as she put on a thinking pose.

Miki just shrugged before she replied.

"Boys, you never know what they're thinking. One minute they're thinking of something fun, the next, they're thinking of something perverted."

All the charas just sighed together with a straight face.

"agreed."

Then they all stared at me as soon as they heard me start to snore and sweat dropped as they saw me put on a weak smile in my sleep and saw my drool ever so gracefully spread on top of my pillow. (hahah!! Lolness!! XD)

"A-Amu-chan." Ran said in disbelief.

"How un-ladylike." Miki said with a twitching eyebrow.

"I feel sorry for Amu-chan's mom who has to do THIS kind of laundry." Said Suu as she sighed.

"Oh well, Amu-chan is Amu-chan." They all sighed in chorus.

* - * - * - *

Weeks passed by just like any other normal day. Attending school, working at the café, chatting with Utau, and going on outings with Tadase-kun, Kukai, and Kairi. I haven't even seen Ikuto yet. The last time I saw him was at the airport, so I sort of started to worry, and it was only one more month till' Utau's birthday.

I sighed as my alarm clock suddenly rang and the sound filled my whole room.

"WAAHHH!! Turn it off, turn it off!! I'm going deaf!!" screamed Ran with her hands over her ears as she popped out of her egg and flew around the room all panicked.

I just slowly sat up straight on my bed and stared at her with a straight face, then I slammed the clock right on top.

"Ran, it's off now." I said weakly as I rubbed the sleep form my eye.

She was still flying around the room, hands over her ears. She suddenly bumped into my wall calendar and let out a weak moan. I just sweat dropped as I watched her slowly lift and rub her head with swirls in her eyes.

"Geez, and you call ME the clumsy one."

She widened her eyes in a wondering look and let out a weak 'hm?' sound escape her lips as she looked at the calendar in front of her and noticed the bright red circle around a date which she landed right in the middle of.

"Amu-chan, what's this circle for? A special occasion?" she asked curiously as she faced me.

"Huh?" I asked as I got up and walked over to the calendar.

I took a closer look at it and thought for a while.

"Mm…I'm not sure exactly."

)(Flashback!!)(

"Waaahhh!! Okay!! I SO won't forget this next year!!"

- Draws circle on calendar –

"Yosh!! Now I'll remember it for sure!! No more surprises this time!!"

)(End of short flashback!!)(

I just sweat dropped with a straight face as I lightly scratched my chin and put on a weak smile.

"Eto…I guess I forgot anyway."

Ran sighed as she just shook her head and crossed her arms.

"Amu-chan's useless."

I got a vein on my forehead as I faced her.

"S-Shut up!! I'll make sure to write the occasion this time, as soon as I remember what it is!!"

"Hm, better make it quick…that occasion seems to be today, and judging by the flashback Amu-chan just had, there's gonna be a surprise that you won't like." Ran said as she looked back at the calendar and put on her thinking face.

"Hm, yeah…guess you're right." I said as I looked at the calendar too.

'…and how did you know about the flashback?! Are you psychic or something?!' I thought as beads of sweat formed behind my head.

I just sighed as I stood up straight again.

"But still, how can I remember something that I forgot? (yet again)"

My cell phone suddenly beeped on top my drawer as I let a 'hm?' sound escape my lips and faced it.

"Who'd text me this early in the morning?" I asked myself as I walked over to it.

I picked and pushed in 'read'

"huh? It's from Rima."

'Amu, do you mind if you come over to my house today? My parents are out for the day so it's okay.'

Question marks popped up form behind my head as I read the text.

"Why does Rima want me to go over to her house?"

"Amu-chan!! You should go!! When was the last time you've been to Rima-chan's house?!" Ran suddenly yelled in my ear as I freaked.

"Y-You were listening?" I asked shakily.

"That's not important!! What IS important is that you find something nice to wear over to Rima-chan's house and to get there on time!!"

I just sweat dropped as I looked at her screaming face.

"Geez, why are you so fired up?"

"I have no idea, but we gotta find Miki fast!! Miki!! Miki!!" she yelled as she started floating around the room with a hand beside her mouth shouting out Miki's name.

I sweat dropped again.

"Wonder when she'll realize that Miki's still asleep in her egg."

* - * - * - *

I stood in front of my mirror looking at my newly designed outfit. I was wearing a pink and black ruffle spaghetti top, a plaid white mini-skirt, a pair of black flats, and a long silver chain necklace with a crystal heart pendant as big as ¾ my thumb around my neck. It was simple and stylish at the same time.

"Alright!! Go Miki!!" Ran cheered as she waved her mini pom-poms in the air.

"Ran, sshhh!! Miki's still regaining her consciousness!!..." Suu whisper-yelled at Ran.

"…Miki would've designed something better for Amu-chan to wear if Ran didn't suddenly shake her egg so violently like that and almost made it fall over!!" Suu said as she faced Miki who had spirals in her eyes.

Ran just laughed nervously as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Gomen, guess I was a little TOO fired up."

I just sighed as I pocketed my cell phone.

"C'mon, let's get going already." I said before doing a chara nari with Ran and taking off.

* - * - * - *

I softly landed on Rima's lawn where I saw her waiting for me and undid my chara change as I put on a smile.

"Rima!"

She just put on a weak smile for herself before replying.

"Ohayo, Amu. Long time no see."

I softened my smile and just continued staring at her.

"yeah." I said calmly.

"Well, c'mon. Let's get inside already." She said as she slowly turned around and walked towards the house.

"H-Huh? H-Hai!" I stuttered with a wondering face as I followed her in.

* - * - * - *

As soon as we were in her house, I was gazing at the huge chandelier hanging in the center of the equally huge lobby.

"What? Never seen a chandelier before?" Rima asked, confused.

"N-No, it's not that…I've just never seen a chandelier this…distracting before." I said while still staring at it with a straight face.

Rima just thought for a while.

"Now that I think about it, this is the first time you've been in my house, isn't it?"

I widened my eyes a bit and let a 'hm?' sound escape my lips.

"eto…I guess it is."

She just put on a weak smile.

"Rima, what was the reason for the sudden invite here, anyway?"

"Eh? E-Eto…" Rima stuttered as she widened her eyes and beads of sweat formed behind her head.

"Rima?" I said weakly as question marks popped up all over me.

I suddenly heard something burst from the other room beside us as me and Rima faced towards it.

"Great, it popped!" I heard someone whisper-yell through the door.

"Rima, is there something going on in that room?" I asked as I walked over to it.

"A-Amu!! You wouldn't want to go in there yet!!" Rima stuttered as she ran towards me.

I made it to the door before she reached me and I opened it wide.

- End of Chapie! -


	26. Chapter 26

okay, i'd just like to apologize in advance (yet agen) because the next chappie might come out later than the rest. (havent even started on it yet).

I'd also like 2 thank d all the ppls who reviewed on this fanfic so far. Thanks to that, i kinda had d motivation to keep dis story goin. (i only planned this story 2 have 20 chapters formt he start, but....)

lol, anywayzz....here's chapie 26!! XD

-----------------------------------------------------------------

- Chapie # 26! -

I opened the doors and widened my eyes soon as I did.

I saw Kukai halfway up a ladder and looking at me with a surprised face and was about to hang some decorations up in the wall. Tadase-kun was arranging snacks on a table practically filled with food, and Kairi was holding a balloon in both hands while being completely surrounded by a hundred more.

"H-Hinamori?!" stuttered Kukai as he dropped the decor he was holding.

I just stared at them, dumfounded, with shaking eyes.

"What's going on?"

Beads of sweat quickly formed behind their heads as they looked at each other and Rima finally caught up and stopped beside me.

"G-Gomen." Rima said weakly, out of breath.

"R-Rima!! W-What's Hinamori doing here?!" Kukai asked with a semi-panicked face.

"Hey! Don't blame me!! I tried to stall her for as long as I could!!...and it sort of worked fine too, until SOMEBODY popped a balloon." Rima said as she glared at Kairi.

"H-Hey!! That was just an accident!! I'm completely surrounded by balloons, so it's TOTALLY understandable if I happened to step on one!!" He stuttered as a bead of sweat slid down the side of his face and light reflected on his glasses.

Tadase-kun just sighed.

"See, I told you it wasn't a good idea to text her so early in the morning."

"B-Be quiet!! I got worried that she would oversleep!! So I texted her earlier just in case!!" Rima stuttered as her face turned a light shade of red.

I just stood there with a straight face as I listened to their ongoing arguments.

"Eto, guys…you completely didn't answer my question."

Everyone instantly stopped whatever they were shouting out and looked at me with semi-widened eyes.

"Well, guess it can't be helped then…" Kukai sighed as he sat down on a ladder step.

Then he calmly looked at me with a weak smile on his face.

"Happy Birthday, Hinamori."

* - * - * - *

I widened my eyes in a surprised look as I watched them all smile and greet at the same time,

"Happy Birthday."

I couldn't do anything but just stare at them as I stood perfectly still. I suddenly put on a smile as a weak laugh escaped my lips and everybody just looked at each other in confusion as question marks popped up from behind their heads.

"What's so funny?" Asked Kukai as he looked back at me.

I calmed down a bit before I replied.

"Oh nothing, it's just that…I think that I would remember if today was actually my birthday."

"Oh, you think so?" He asked as he put on a big playful grin.

"E-Eh?" I blinked a few times and looked up at him.

"Amu, did you forget about last year already?..." Rima asked.

"…When we threw you a surprise birthday at your place? You immediately freaked and fainted as soon as we yelled out 'happy birthday'".

A bead of sweat slid down the side of my face as I put on a nervous smile.

"E-Eto…"

"Or what about the year before that?..." Kukai interrupted, still wearing that grin on his face.

"…when we told you to go to a restaurant for your birthday a week early? You kept us waiting there for hours, and it turned out that you were already asleep in bed."

"Yeah, I still occasionally get the visions that I had that time for drinking too much coffee to stay awake." Tadase-kun said as he put on a weak smile.

Beads of sweat quickly formed behind my head as I replied.

"N-Now that I think about it…" I said weakly while lightly scratching the side of my chin.

"Face it Amu, you have an incurable case of Amnesia." Rima said with a straight face.

"D-Do not!!"

Everyone just let out a weak laugh as they watched me argue with Rima, and I widened my eyes a bit as I noticed it. Then I just simply put on a weak smile.

'Arigatou…minna."

* - * - * - *

As soon as the decorations and snacks were done, the party was finally started. Of course, I helped too. I sighed as I lifted a small piece of chocolate cake to my mouth in exhaustion. Then Kukai suddenly grabbed me by the neck, almost making me choke [yet again].

"K-Kukai!!"

He just put on a big grin as he faced me.

"Hey!! How old are you now again?..." he asked as he put on a wondering look.

"…Oh, that's right!! You're already 13!! Geez, and you STILL don't have a boyfriend yet. Don't you think it's about time that you get one? The single life can be really lonely you know." He said teasingly.

My eyebrow started twitching as my face turned a light shade of red.

"W-What's with you?! Asking that kind of question all of a sudden again!!"

He just laughed before letting go and replying back.

"Hai, hai. I get it."

I sighed as he just continued laughing.

"Now c'mon!! This is YOUR birthday, so YOU should be the one enjoying the occasion!!" He said as he grabbed my hand and dragged me over to where the others were and an 'eh?!' sound escaped my lips.

As soon as he stopped dragging me, I stopped right in front of Kairi.

"Geez, Kukai…how many times do you have to do that to me to make yourself satisfied?"

He just let out a weak laugh before replying.

"I'm afraid that's way over how much I can count!!"

I sweat dropped as I just sighed and faced forward. I widened my eyes a bit as soon as I noticed Kairi in front of me. I lift my head as we just stared at each other in a short silence. Then he suddenly put on a weak smile before he spoke.

"Well, I hope you now know the reason for my visit back here."

"huh?..." I said as I thought for a while.

"…umm…can I have a clue??" I asked with a straight face and a small smile.

Kairi just sweat dropped as he quickly lowered his head and a dark aura surrounded him.

'I can't believe this…'

Beads of sweat formed behind my head as I just stared at him.

"G-Gomen…"

He sighed as he raised his head again and faced me.

"No, that's fine. I'm just glad that I'm actually here today." He said as I simply put on a weak smile.

"Yeah, me too."

We spent the rest of the day eating to our heart's content (not to mention our livers -__- ). It was actually pretty fun, but everything had to end sometime.

"Aaaahhhh…man, am I full!!" Kukai sighed with satisfaction as we walked out of the room and into the lobby.

"I find that pretty hard to believe…you must be lying…" Rima said as she and I stared at him with a straight face.

"Hm, now that I think about it, I think I still got some room in here for a few more bites…" Kukai said as he looked up in a wondering look and placed a finger under his chin.

"We knew it." Me and Rima said together as we lowered our heads a bit and sweat dropped as Kukai just laughed.

I quickly widened m eyes at a thought that just popped up.

"Oh, I know!" I said with semi-wide eyes as I lightly hit my palm with the bottom of my fist and ran in the room again leaving Kukai and Rima staring after me with question marks popping up from behind their heads.

After a few minutes, I came back out, lightly panting, holding a plastic full of leftover snacks close to my chest.

"Hm? What's the bag for, Hinamori?" asked Kukai with his hands in his pockets as he just stared at me.

I placed the bag in front of his face while lightly blushing, though I had no idea why.

"H-Here, there were plenty of left over snacks, so…bring some home with you…ne?"

He widened his eyes a bit at what I said, then just put on a weak smile.

"Arigatou." He said calmly as he took the bag from me.

"Oh, having a little lover's chat here, are we?" Tadase-kun asked with a weak smile as he walked towards us with Kairi by his side.

"E-Eh?!" I stuttered as beads of sweat formed behind my head and I faced him.

Kukai was just looking at him with his eyes wide open a bit in a wondering look as Tadase-kun just let out a weak laugh.

"I was just kidding, don't have to take it so seriously."

I just lowered my head a little and looked at him, annoyed.

"Geez, what's with all the lover's questions you keep asking nowadays?"

Kukai just let out a playful laugh.

"We're just teasing you for not getting a boyfriend yet!" said Kukai as he flicked my forehead and walked towards the door with Tadase-kun and Kairi.

"Well, we'll be leaving now. Ja ne!" he waved before exiting the door with his hands in his pockets.

"Goodbye, Joker." Said Kairi as he just followed.

"Geez, like it's any of their business." I said weakly while rubbing the part of my forehead where Kukai flicked it.

"Amu…"

I faced forward and saw Rima in her nightdress, holding a teddy bear in one hand and lightly rubbing her eye with the other.

"…I'll be going to bed now. Feel free to stay as long as you want, ne?"

"For real? But it's only like…8:25!" I said as a bead of sweat slid down the side of my face.

"Yeah, well. If only you knew how early my tutor comes here every morning to teach me."

I just simply put on a weak smile.

"Okay then. Goodnight, Rima."

"Hai." She said calmly as she put on a weak smile herself and walked upstairs to her room.

As soon as she was gone, I quietly sighed as I faced back at the front door.

"So, will we be going now, Amu-chan?" asked Miki as she suddenly popped up in front of my face.

"H-Huh? Well, I'm kinda to lazy to go all the way back home." I said with a straight face and a small smile.

"What about we just FLY home?" asked Ran.

"Yeah, well. I'm too lazy to chara nari right now." I said as I turned around and faced towards the stairs.

My charas just sweat dropped.

"How can anyone be too lazy to chara nari?" they all said to themselves weakly.

I just ignored them and looked all the way up to the ceiling of the house.

"Hm. I wonder what it's like up there." I said curiously.

"Don't wonder, EXPLORE!!" Ran suddenly exclaimed happily as she chara changed with me.

"W-Wha-?!" was all I could say before I found myself flying up to the roof.

"R-Ran!! QUIT IT!!"

Ran was too busy humming to herself to even notice me.

"S-She's not listening to me at all." I said weakly as I slowly landed on the top floor of Rima's house (or probably….mansion).

Ran undid the chara change and just smiled at me.

"See? That wasn't so bad now, was it?" she asked me while I was panting.

I quickly shot her a 'don't-talk-to-me' glare as she freaked and hid behind Miki.

"Geez. That's what you get for suddenly chara changing with Amu-chan like that. You know how much she hates it." Said Miki with a straight face.

"Desu~~" Suu continued.

"I-I forgot."

I just sighed as I looked around me.

"You shouldn't have done that. It's not polite to go around someone's house without them knowing. Desu~" said Suu.

"Tch. Tell that to Ran." I said coolly while continuing looking around me.

"We must be on the floor to the entrance of the roof."

"Oh gee, like we couldn't guess." Said Miki sarcastically with a straight face as she pointed to a big sign on top of a door saying 'ROOF'

A bead of sweat slid down the side of my face as I faced Miki.

"You just had to ruin my 'cool act', didn't you?" I said weakly as I sighed.

Miki just crossed her arms before replying with a weak smile.

"Of course. The way you acted kinda pissed me off. Like you were cooler than me or something."

I got a vein on my forehead as I faced her.

"Shut up! At least the proved that I could read!!"

"Yeah, and we're ALL so proud of that." She said sarcastically, yet again, as she turned away from me and placed both hands in the air beside her.

"Geez, what a back-talking chara." I said under my breath as I walked towards the door.

"Well, this would be a good place to take off once I wanna go home, so I guess I'll stay here for a bit."

I turned the knob and walked outside as I felt the wind softly brush on my face as I did.

"Wow, it's pretty cold up here." I said as I wrapped myself up with my arms.

"Of course it is. Look at what you're wearing." Miki said as she pointed at my top and skirt.

"But this is YOUR design!!" I shot back.

"Well, yeah, but…I designed that while I was only HALF conscious." She said calmly.

"whatever…" I sighed as I walked over to the edge of the roof and looked down at the houses and trees below me.

'Wow. The view here sure is amazing.' I thought with wide eyes in a semi-surprised look.

"No, Amu-chan! No! Just because Ikuto-kun doesn't love you back, doesn't mean you have to go as far as to jump!!" Ran yelled as tears rolled down her face and I noticed Miki and Suu laugh out loud behind her.

I got a vein on my forehead as I shot another glare at her.

"What are you saying all of a sud-!?..."

I was cut off when I suddenly saw a chara nari'd Ikuto jump over the roof and the moonlight shined down on him.

"I-Ikuto?..." I said weakly as I just stared at him with a surprised face.

He widened his eyes a bit as he noticed me too.

"Amu?.."

* - * - * - *

He softly landed in front of me and undid his transformation. He was also holding a white plastic bag as soon as he did. He probably went out shopping for more fish and chips or milk or something.

"W-What are YOU doing here?!" I asked as I pointed at him and beads of sweat formed behind my head.

He just put on a smirk before replying.

"Hm? Shouldn't I be the one asking that?"

I lightly blushed a faint shade of pink as I put on an annoyed face.

"No!!"

He closed his eyes and raised an eyebrow as he placed one hand in his pocket and the other one behind his head. (note: not a pose. Just imagine it.)

"Geez, I still don't get why you freak out every time you see me. Are you THAT into me?" He asked as he opened an eye and looked at me.

A vein suddenly popped up on my forehead as he said that.

"Just answer the question!!"

He placed both hands in his pockets and sighed before finally replying.

"Well, if you must know, I was just on my way home after one hell of a tiring day, and this roof was big enough to be a landing place. Does that answer your 'question'?"

I just sweat dropped as I stared at him.

"E-Eto…sort of." I stuttered with a straight face.

"Good, now it's my turn to ask. What were you doing up here?"

I crossed my arms stubbornly before replying.

"Like it's any of your business."

"Hm, that's not really fair, now is it? I answered your question, but you didn't even answer me back.""

"Hey, who do you think asked the question first?" I said with a weak smirk.

"Well, that's true…" he shrugged.

"…Anyway, now that I finally found you…here." He said as he raised the bag in front of my face and I just stared at it.

"Hm? What's this for?" I asked as I faced him.

"Just take it." He said with an expressionless voice.

A vein popped up on my forehead as I slowly got the bag from his hands.

"Geez, even when you're giving a GIFT, it's a pain." I said under my breath.

He just sighed as he sat down in front of the wall beside the door like how any other normal guy would sit like. One leg just flat on the ground and the other bent up in front of him. I sighed with an annoyed tone as I sat down beside him as well. Both legs bent flat down and going to the left as I just stared at the bag.

"So, are you actually gonna open it, or just stare at it all night?" he asked as he put on a weak smile and closed his eyes.

Beads of sweat suddenly formed behind my head as I freaked and faced him.

"B-Be quiet!! I was just about to!!"

"Hm, sure you were." He replied coolly.

A bead of sweat slid down the side of my face as I looked back down at the bag again with an annoyed look and slowly opened it. I suddenly widened my eyes in surprise as I pulled out a chocolate cat wrapped in gold foil in front of my face.

"Happy birthday." Said Ikuto with a weak smile as I just stared at him.

'Ikuto…' I thought as I looked back at the cat and lightly blushed.

"I didn't really think that…you would actually give me a gift today."

"Hm, Why do you think I accepted that part-time job at the café?..." he asked as he placed both his hands behind his head, elbows up.

"…I told you back at the airport I was a little short on cash, didn't I? We didn't meet for some time because I was busy with other exhausting part-time's I had…" he said before calmly closing his eyes.

"…I did make some cash, but…in the end, I couldn't think of a good present for you."

I just stared at him, dumbfounded. Nothing could come out of my mouth. I just tried thinking of the right words to say.

"B-But I thought you were saving up for UTAU'S birthday!" was all I could say.

[written in the back g. -- . . . . ]

"Who?" Ikuto asked calmly.

I sweat dropped with a straight face as I just stared at him.

'What kind of sibling IS this guy?'

"D-Don't tell me you forgot about Utau's birthday." I said in disbelief.

Ikuto just looked at the sky with an uninterested face.

"Hm, isn't her birthday still 4 months from now?"

"It's next month, next month!!"

He just put on a weak smile as he closed his eyes gain and lowered his head.

"Tch, like I care. The only birthday I currently care about is yours."

I widened my eyes a bit as I blushed ten fold then looked back down at the chocolate cat. I slowly let out a weak laugh as I lightly held onto it in my hands.

"Hm? What's so funny?"

I calmed down a bit before replying.

"Nothing, I just thought that…it's a bit weird for you to remember my birthday, but forget all about yours."

He just put on a smirk as he stared at me.

"Really? Then that makes us the same then. Something tells me you forgot about your own birthday too."

I widened my eyes a bit as a bead of sweat slid down the side of my face.

"Guess we have something in common after all…" I said before calmly closing my eyes and putting on a weak smile.

"But seriously…Arigatou, Ikuto."

He looked at me as he widened his eyes a bit, half-surprised, then he put on a weak smile himself.

"guess those jobs really were worth it." he said under his breath before he suddenly closed his eyes and his head softly landed on my bare lap. [he was facing AWAY form me]

"I-Ikuto?!"

I put the cat beside me as I placed a hand on his head and the other on his shoulder as I lightly shook him.

"Ikuto? What happened?!"

He just let a 'tch' sound escape his lips and shut his eyes tighter before he slowly opened them up again and looked at me.

"Gomen…guess I'm just a little tired…" he said weakly as he lightly covered his eyes with his hand.

'Geez, you even tired yourself out.' I thought as I looked down at him, my hands still were they were.

"…do you mind if…we stay like this for a while?..." he said softly as he removed his hand form his eyes and just stared at it.

"…sound familiar?"

I just widened my eyes in surprise.

"Y-You were spying on us?!"

"Well, I wouldn't call it spying, but…call it whatever you want."

A vein popped up on my fist as I tried [my hardest] to hesitate from punching him right on the head.

"…but…I really meant it…" he suddenly continued as I widened my eyes a bit and just stared at him.

"…I want to…stay like this for a while. Just tell me if you don't like it, then…I'll get back up again."

I lightly blushed as I lowered my head a little.

"I-It's not that I don't like it or anything, baka…" I said to him weakly.

"Actually……whenever I'm with you, there's always this feeling inside of me where I can't control my heartbeat anymore. I don't really know the reason why yet though…" I noticed that he widened his eyes only a little bit and looked at me as my bangs covered my eyes and I blushed ten fold.

"…But…don't take this the wrong way, okay? This isn't a confession or anything. I… actually thought that the reasons I had those feelings was because………………….I loved you." I said weakly before I looked at him again and saw him looking back at me with a surprised face as a tiny tear formed in the corner of my eye.

"…but…that's totally impossible, right?" I said as I put on a weak smile and faced him.

He just stared at me with an expressionless face before saying anything.

"Baka. Just when you finally thought right."

'Ikuto?...' I thought before I widened my eyes as soon as Ikuto suddenly cupped my face in his hands and I felt his warm lips slowly press against mine.

My heart suddenly started beating heavily as I blushed a shade of red and Ikuto and I were stuck in that moment.

"When will you ever understand…your own feelings…" he mumbled calmly while our lips were still together.

I slowly half-closed my eyes as I felt his lips brush against mine's and he just continued calmly kissing me.

'You perverted cat…' I thought as I closed my eyes and gave into the kiss.

* - * - * - *

I sighed as I sat on top of my bed in my pj's, exhausted. Ran just yawned as soon as she popped out of her egg and flew over to me.

"Gomen, Amu-chan. I fell asleep as soon as you and Ikuto-kun started talking…" she said weakly as she rubbed the sleep form her eye.

"…Your talk was just so boring. Plus, it was already late."

"Whatever. I'm just glad you didn't see…" I sighed.

"Nani? Didn't see what?" she asked as she widened her eyes in curiosity.

I suddenly lowered my head as beads of sweat quickly formed behind it.

"Me and my big mouth."

Ran just looked at the red circle on my wall calendar for a while again, then faced back at me.

"Anyway, Amu-chan. Since we finally know what the occasion was today, why don't you write it down on your calendar?"

I widened my eyes a bit in a wondering look as I looked at my calendar.

"Hm, yeah. Guess I should."

Ran let out another yawn as a tear formed in the corner of her eye.

"Okay then, I'm going back to sleep. Goodnight, Amu-chan." She said weakly as she slowly flew back to her egg.

I just put on a weak smile as I watched her.

"Goodnight, Ran." I replied as her egg closed up and I heard a faint snoring sound.

I faced back at the calendar and sighed as I got up and walked towards it. I picked up a pen form my table on my way over, but as soon as I was about to write, I suddenly stopped before my pen even touched the calendar, and I thought for a while as I just stared at it.

'Today is my birthday, but…'

I slowly lifted my pen up to the calendar again and calmly wrote on it.

'…I feel like I want to write something…different.'

After writing, I placed the pen back on my table and just stared at the calendar with a weak smile on my face.

"Hm."

I walked back to my bed and tucked myself in the covers as I turned off the lights and yawned. Soon enough, I was fast asleep, leaving today's date on my calendar written as 'my first romantic kiss with Ikuto'.

- End of Chapie! -

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[pant pant]

well!!.......................THAT took some time to type in!!

OMG!! longest chappie yet!! XD

over 5000 words!! NEW RECORD!! WOOT!! lolzz. XP


	27. Chapter 27

woahhh....how long has it been? lol, im juzt gald i apologized earlier.

i wuz juz SO bz with recent skool work!! [[either that, or i wuz 2 bz readn 'twilight']]

lollz, anywayzz....here's chappie 27!!

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- Chapie # 27! –

The day after the party, I received a call from Sanjou-san. She said that Kairi left Japan just that morning. The only message that he left for me was…

'Hey, I got school too you know.'

Geez. Talk about killjoy. He didn't even bother to say bye. After that, I assumed that the 'bye' he said to me back at the party, made up for the bye he never said. That way, we're both happy. Guess there's nothing I can do now but…simply wait for him to return again.

* - * - * - *

Another week passed by so quickly, that I didn't even notice that the weekends have arrived again. [[something ALL students would naturally remember]]

"Let's go to that one, no, that one!!" Utau yelled happily as she pointed at multiple shops all at once.

I sweat dropped as I watched her teleport from shop window to shop window, squealing every time she saw something cute.

'How did I get myself into this mess?' I complained in my head as I searched through it to at least try to remember what happened this morning.

)(Flash Back!!)(

I woke up to a beeping sound coming from my cell phone as light poured into my room from the window and I saw flakes of dust slowly fly right past it. I just stared at my phone sleepily with bags under my eyes and my hair all shriveled up from rolling around in my sleep too much.

'What is it now…' I thought and sighed as I slowly reached for it.

I brought it up in front of my face, then suddenly jerked up straight on my bed as my eye bugs quickly vanished, for the second time, as I read the message.

'Amu, this is Ikuto. Could you meet me at the café in the mall today? There's something I wanna discuss with you.' [[and just so you guys know, it's not the same café that I worked at.]]

My eyes widened as I finished reading the message and I stared at it silently.

'Why would he suddenly want to discuss something with me?' I asked myself before a thought suddenly hit me.

'…but…what if this isn't really Ikuto? There's no proof that he/she is, since the number of the sender is unknown.' [[dang, I'm smart]]

I typed in a short reply saying…

'Before I do something stupid like trust you and completely regret it for the rest of my life, give me some proof that you're really Ikuto.' And pushed in 'send'.

It didn't take long till' I heard my cell hone ring this time. I put on a semi-surprised look as I pushed in 'answer' and carefully brought the phone up to my ear. I waited for him to talk first.

'Now do you believe that I'm Ikuto?' the voice asked over the phone with a hint of irritation.

"Not really, but I do believe this will do for the moment.' I said smugly.

The voice just sighed before he replied.

"Whatever. Meet you there." Then he hung up.

I stared at the phone silently with a straight face as I heard a loud 'beep' sound fill my room.

"he could've just discussed it with me over the phone."

I sighed and pushed in 'disconnect', suddenly silencing my room again.

"Guess I better get going already."

* - * - * - *

I waited in front of the café entrance, wearing a pink jacket reaching all the way down to my thigh, a white tube top underneath it, a pair of white mini-shorts that also reached to where my jacket did, and a pair of strappy white sandals with short heels below it. I quietly sighed as i thought to myself.

'Geez, why is it that every time I have to meet up with someone, I'M always the one that does the waiting?...'

I puffed my cheeks.

'…the next time I DO have plans to meet up with someone, I'll show up an hour late. That'll show them.'

I popped my eyes open as soon as I heard a voice calling my name form somewhere.

"AMU-CHAAANNN!! OVER HERE!!"

I turned my head around to face the inside of the café, [[there was only a short gate separating me from the inside of it]] and I saw Utau wearing a big cheerful smile on her face with her arm stretched above her head, waving, and calling out my name repeatedly as other people started staring at her and I just sweat dropped.

'How embarrassing. Maybe I should just pretend that I don't know her…'

I sighed at the thought.

'…what am I thinking. I better end this already.'

I slowly walked inside the café with a twitching eyebrow while lightly blushing as people started facing my way. As soon as I was at Utau's table, I took a seat and placed my face flat on top of the table.

"Utau…what do you want this time." I said more than asked, and it came out all muffled and hardly understandable.

But Utau understood somehow and replied.

"Mm…I just wanted to spend time with you today, especially since you didn't invite me to your last birthday." She pouted as she puffed her cheeks.

"I-I told you that they took me by surprise that time!! I completely forgot that it was my birthday!!" I stuttered as I jerked my face back up to face her and a bead of sweat slid down the side of my face.

"Geez, you and your excuses, Amu-chan. I don't buy it one bit. Who on earth would forget about their own birthday?"

I sweat dropped with a straight face as I just stared at her.

'Gee, I don't know…ask your brother.' I thought sarcastically.

I just sighed.

"And I thought that I was going to meet up with Ikuto today."

As soon as I finished the sentence, Utau suddenly put on another huge grin.

"Kyaaaa!! Amu-chan just sounded like she wanted to go on a date with Ikuto!! How Kawaiiiiiiiii!!"

Beads of sweat quickly formed behind my head as I frantically waved my hands in front of me.

"N-No! It wasn't like that!! He just said that he wanted to meet up with me, so I was expecting him here since this is the place we would meet!!"

Then Utau slowly put on an apologetic look as she looked up at me.

"Mm…sorry to burst your bubble Amu-chan…" she said with the same tone of a sad kid who tripped while running.

"…especially since you really looked forward to see Ikuto, but it was me who texted you this morning to meet up. I used my 34th cell phone to text you so that you wouldn't recognize the sender, seeing that cell phones 1-33 and 35-62's numbers are already stored in your phone book."

I sweat dropped again.

'That's true. I have them all properly named too so that I would recognize each one. Who knew that I actually missed one out of the 62 cell phones she had.' I thought with a straight face as I froze in place and felt a breath of cold wind smack against my face.

"N-Nani? You're saying that YOU'RE really the one who texted me?"

Utau just nodded shyly and lowered her head like a kid who admitted breaking a vase.

"B-But he CALLED me, and I heard HIS voice!" I half-yelled in disbelief, but not desperately.

Utau suddenly grabbed a little machine covered in switches and dials form her bag and displayed it next to her face as she winked and stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Ta-da!! It's a voice editing machine!! It was specifically modified this morning to make my voice sound like Ikuto's!! This was what I used over the phone to lure you out and meet up with me!! Every singer needs to have one!!" she said excitedly.

There was a short silence as I just stared at her with a straight face, then I slowly placed my head on top of the table again, but this time I was facing sideways do that I could breathe properly, with tears rolling down my face.

"But why did you have to use Ikuto?" I moaned.

"Because I knew that Ikuto would be the perfect, and only, bait to lure you out!! I said it before and I'll say it again, You're really easy to read, Amu-chan!!"

I stayed perfectly quiet as I just stayed in position and Utau, still wearing that huge smile of hers, did the same too. Then we both felt cold wind slowly blow right past us and there was an awkward silence.

"A-Anyway!! Since we're already in the mall, why don't we go shopping for a bit!! You really need some more girly clothes, Amu-chan!!" she said nervously while swaying one hand quickly back and forth in front of her face.

I slowly moved the position of my head and rested my chin on top of the table.

"What's wrong with the clothes I wear?" I said expressionless, feeling slightly pissed.

"Amu-chan, you dress like a tomboyish chick!! Sure you started to wear something more…ladylike, but I'm talking about gowns!! Dresses!! And even bikinis!!" she said with a smile, relieved that she got me to talk again.

I jerked my head up in surprise and placed both hands on the table as beads of sweat formed behind my head.

"N-Nani?! Gowns and dresses are okay, but bikinis?! No way!! I always look fat in one of those!!"

"Before!! But with your newly developed body, you'll look like a cover girl form playboy magazine!! Now let's go!!~~" She exclaimed happily as she grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the café and into the shopping section of the mall.

)(End of flashback!!)(

I sweat dropped as I watched the thought bubble suddenly disappear into thin air.

"Oh right…that's how." I said glumly with a straight face.

"Amu-chaaaannn!! I finally found the perfect shop!! It has bikinis and EVERYTHING!!" Utau yelled form outside a shop called 'Aphrodite' [[Greek goddess of love and beauty.]]

I wrinkled my nose at the shop as I slowly walked towards it.

'Something about the name of that shop sends a chill down my spine.' And soon enough, I knew why.

I stopped beside a grinning Utau and slowly faced towards the inside of the shop. I gawked at the huge baby pink walls with countless tiny silver sparkles scattered all over it and the thousands of golden-coated racks holding millions of colorful and skimpy girly clothes that you can only see celebrities and models wear on TV and on the covers of magazines.

"W-What's with this shop?! I've never seen it around here before!!" I exclaimed as I widened my eyes in surprise.

"Of course you haven't, silly!! It just opened!!"

"Well how was I supposed to know that?!"

Utau just let out a little chuckle before grabbing my hand again and pulling me into the shop.

"Now c'mon, take you're pick!! Anything you want. I'm paying!!"

"N-Nani?! Y-You don't have to-!!"

Now I knew that Utau's singing career was back on track, or she was probably even more popular than before, but that doesn't mean that she has to spend any of her money on ME, right?

She let out another weak chuckle before responding.

"Don't be silly, I'll be glad to!!"

She suddenly pushed me into one huge dressing room covered with mirrors here and there. There was also a bright red heart-inspired sofa placed in the corner, and plenty of coat racks on the wall to hold about ¼ of the clothes that filled the whole shop. I sweat dropped as I looked around me and saw my reflection form every angle.

"Now you stay here like a good little girl while I scavenge the whole shop for anything that I think looks even the slightest bit good on you." Utau said before she shut the door to left me in there to stay idle.

In a matter of seconds, she came through the door, along with 10 other staff members, with a whole pile of clothes in their arms. I sweat dropped yet again as they neatly hung all the clothes on the coat racks and left to give me some privacy.

"Now you change into these clothes and make sure that I get to see each change, ne?" said Utau happily as she sat herself down on the sofa.

I stared at all the clothes with a straight face and my mouth slightly ajar.

"All…of these?" I asked as I slowly lifted a finger and pointed at them.

"Hai! ALL of them…" She said with a smirk.

"…and then I'll check out ALL the clothes that look good on you."

I just sighed as I lowered my head a bit and slowly reached for a hot pink, knee-length, frilly and sparkly gown.

"Guess I have no choice then." I moaned glumly.

- End of Chapie! -

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lol, a lot of u guyz probably got bored and arent that interested in d story anymore, so i wont be expectin a lot of reviews on dis one. i mean, the whole chappie wasnt even worth d w8!! as soon as i realized that it was already 2 weeks since i last updated, i quickly grabbed my dust-covered notebook form my desk and started scribbling down. haha!!


	28. Chapter 28

- Chapie # 28! –

I modeled and posed in I-don't-know HOW many outfits while checking myself from every angle, trying to see if there is even ONE spot where I didn't look good so that Utau wouldn't have to buy me anything. I occasionally stole glances of her, trying to see her expressions, but every time I did, all I saw were sparkles in her eyes as she stared at me with her mouth wide open in the form of a smile, which sent chills down my spine. Her face turned even more excited as I tried on all the skimpy bikinis she picked out for me. I don't know how long we spent in there, but it sure felt like days. At last, we were finally done, and Utau would've bought everything [[and I mean EVERYTHING]] if I hadn't begged her to stop. She sighed as she agreed to the 5 maximum deal and walked over to the counter to pay for the outfits. With one swipe of the credit card, we were out of the shop [[and when I say we, I meant Me, Utau, and 2 [[hot]] male staff members who were holding onto our shopping bags]]. I was wearing a straight face the whole time we were walking.

"You know Utau, I can just hold onto the bags myself. You didn't have to pay these guys to carry them."

She let a 'psshhh' sound escape her lips before she replied.

"Don't be silly!! Once you go shopping for fancy clothes, you also have to FEEL fancy…" she said with a finger raised in the air and a smug look on her face.

"…it goes together perfectly!! If you don't, you'll feel like a long ago glamorous princess who lost everything she ever owned on gambling!!"

I sweat dropped.

'How does she come UP with this stuff?'

"Anyway, when we go to the beach, make sure that you wear one of the three swimsuits that I bought for you, ne? If you dare show up in a one-piece or in diver's gear, I swear, you won't like my next move." She puffed.

"H-hai" I sweat dropped.

That's right. Out of the 5 outfits she bought for me, three of them were [[ULTRA skimpy]] swimsuits. I still don't understand why she had to buy me some of those things, I mean, I don't even go to the beach that much!! Unless…oh no, please no. Please don't tell me…

"So, since I went through the trouble of buying you outfits, why don't we go to the beach tomorrow, Sunday morning?" She asked with a smile.

I suddenly lowered my head as dark blue lines formed on top of it and tears rolled down my face.

'I thought so…'

"A-Amu-chan? Are you okay?" she stuttered.

I just sighed.

"Thanks Utau, but…eto…I have plans that day so I wont be able to go." I lied as I faced her with a nervous smile on my face.

"Eh?!" Utau replied as she widened her eyes and put on a disappointed look then started pouting.

"What plans?! Cancel it!! Cancel it!! Cancel it now!!"

"G-Gomen, I can't. It's really important."

"What can be THAT important?"

My eyebrow started twitching as the nervous smile still remained on my face.

'Haven't thought of that'

I racked my brain for an excuse, ANY excuse!! Then it finally hit me.

"E-Eto…I'll be too sick to go out that day."

[[Written in the back ground - . . . . ]]

"You're planning…to get sick?" Utau said in disbelief with a straight face.

I never was good at lying.

Utau just moaned childishly as she stuck her lips out.

"C'mon, Amu-chan!! It'll be lots of fun!! I'll even invite Ikuto if you promise to come!!"

I suddenly widened my eyes, half-shocked, as she finished the sentence. I suddenly imagined Ikuto, wearing only a pair of black swimming shorts, flames printed on the lower left corner, his hand outstretched towards me while wearing a gentle smile on his face and I watched a small droplet of water slowly slide down form his chest and the light from the sinking sun behind him shine brightly onto his damp hair.

'Amu…'

I quickly blushed a bright shade of red as I felt steam blowing through my ears and my cheeks start to burn up as I snapped out of it and placed both my hands on my cheeks to feel how hot they were.

"Whoops, guess the effect of that sentence was a little stronger than I thought." Utau said weakly as she placed a finger under her chin cutely and stared at me with wide eyes.

"E-Eh?! N-No!! I-It just suddenly felt hot in here, that's all!!" I stuttered as I faced her, my face still the same shade of red it was a few seconds ago.

She smirked with a straight face.

"that was your excuse back at the ice cream Shoppe, Amu-chan."

"…eh?..."

I thought back for a while, and as soon a si remembered it, I just sweat dropped as I faced her with a straight face.

"O-Oh yeah, well, is it that weird to feel hot in the mall?" I shot back weakly.

"Amu-chan, the whole mall is air-conditioned. How could you possibly feel hot?"

"Well, I AM wearing a jacket." I said with the weakest smile I ever did as a bead of sweat slid down the side of my face.

There was a short silence before she let out a sigh and lowered her head a bit.

"Any…way, where were we? Oh right, since it's already been decided, we'll be going to the beach tomorrow, and I'll see if I will be able to invite Ikuto, seeing that he hasn't been home in a while."

"D-Don't just go deciding things on your ow-…" I cut myself short as soon as Utau's words started to sink in.

"…Ikuto hasn't been home in a while?" I asked, sounding concerned.

"Hm? Yeah, isn't that what I just said?"

"But…where did he go?"

Utau lightly shook her head like I just missed out on the obvious and sighed before replying.

"Amu-chan, if I knew that, I wouldn't be concerned about not being able to invite him now, wouldn't I?..."

Oh…I really DID miss out on the obvious.

"…but don't worry…" she continued.

"…he has his ways. He is a stray cat, after all." She said with a weak smile.

* - * - * - *

Utau dropped me off in front of my house by a limo that was 'coincidentally' parked right outside the exit of the mall and just 'happened' to be where Utau and I exited, but right now, my head was troubled enough by tomorrow, seeing that Utau already told Sanjou-san and everyone else that she'd take the day off the next day, so it wouldn't be a good idea to suddenly cancel it. But I still had 14 hours to think of an appropriate enough excuse, but of course, id be spending most of those hours asleep. Gah! This is harder than I thought! I simply sighed in defeat as I walked upstairs to my room. I plopped down on top of my bed as I tried to even my breathing and looked up at the ceiling above me.

"I think I'll skip changing…just for tonight." I said to myself weakly before I surrendered to my eyelids.

I knew that I fell asleep as soon as I heard the faintest of snores, suddenly fill my room.

* - * - * - *

I woke up earlier than expected [[or wanted]] today. As to why? I really didn't know. I sighed as I pushed my covers off of me and slowly sat up on the edge of my bed. I lazily looked in front of me for a while, staring at nothing in particular as I listened to the silence of my room, with the exception of the chirping birds outside my window and the faint laughs of the neighbor kids playing outside.

"Something…is definitely wrong with this picture." I said to myself cautiously as I felt a few strands of my currently frizzy hair slide down in front of my left shoulder.

"Ill give it…1 minute."

I just sat there, totally motionless, as I watched the time pass by. I was expecting at any moment, a sudden phone call or message form Utau about her plans for today, Ami suddenly bursting through the door declaring that she now officially has a boyfriend, or at least a drunk driver crashing through my 2nd story window. Anything that would ruin my morning, but nothing happened. I narrowed my eyes as I put on a wide nervous smile.

'This morning seems suspiciously…calm.' I thought as I slowly got up and walked over to the center of the room.

'…but then again, on mornings like these, my bad luck just doubles in the afternoon to make up for it.'

I glanced towards my left and right cautiously, half-expecting a ninja to suddenly appear out of nowhere, swinging 2 swords in his hands with the desire to take me away to take me away to a deserted island to offer me to their volcano god as a sacrifice. I cringed as I slowly made my way to my dresser to pick up my brush and straighten out my hair, not forgetting that I was already fully-dressed.

'Wait'

I paused while the brush was halfway down my hair.

'Aren't I supposed to change anyway to get into my swimsuit?'

I stared at myself in the mirror with a straight face, realizing that out of all nights I chose to sleep fully-dressed, it had to be this one. I just sighed.

"Ill get to that right after breakfast." I sighed as I placed my brush back down and made my way to the kitchen.

I ate more slowly than usual, one cheerio after the other, as if trying to slow this day down, but to no avail. As I chewed up the last cheerio, I got up form the table and placed the bowl in the sink. After I washed the dishes, I walked up to my room to change before Utau called. I carefully picked out what swimsuit to wear, making sure the skimpiest one was tucked away safe in the deepest part of my closet. I changed into the swimsuit that I thought was the most decent among the 3, and on a scale of one to ten, ten being the most decent, it was a 3. Hey, it was better than a 0. then I slipped into the same white tube and shorts that I wore yesterday, over the 2-piece. After packing up my towel, extra clothes, and other necessities, I was finally ready. My cell phone suddenly rang on top of my drawer, immediately catching my attention.

"Moshi moshi?" I said after grabbing the phone.

"Ohayo!! Seeing that you're already ready, c'mon down to the front of your house, Amu-chan!! I'll be waiting!!" I heard Utau let out a short giggle before hanging up.

I slowly looked toward my window with a straight face as I heard the dial-up sound coming from my phone, then I spotted a small red light on top of a tiny camera just outside my window sill. I stood perfectly still for a few seconds, just staring right at it.

"How long has that been there, Utau?" I suddenly asked.

My cell phone beeped and I read the new message.

'Oh, just this morning.'

I got a vein on my forehead as I quickly deleted the message and dropped the cell phone in my bag as I stomped my way down the stairs. As soon a si was outside, I saw the same shiny black limousine, that I rode yesterday, parked ion front of my house, and a smiling Utau, waving at me through a rolled down window in the back seat.

"Amu-chan!!"

I just grimaced as I walked over to the limo. When I was inside beside Utau, I shut the door beside me, a little louder than necessary, and crossed my arms stubbornly.

"Who watched it." I said with obvious acid in my voice.

She just put on a big grin before replying.

"Don't worry! It was just me!"

"And would you mind explaining why exactly you had a camera installed outside my window?"

"Just wanted to make sure that you wore one of the 3 swimsuits I bought for you! And I'm glad you did, but, why did you tuck the nicest one deep in your closet? I kinda wanted you to wear that one today." She said innocently as she pouted her bottom lip out.

"Tch. At least I'm wearing one of them. I could've easily picked out my diver's gear if it wasn't for the threat. Who knows what you might've unleashed upon me."

She just smiled as the limo's engine suddenly purred to life, and we were off.

- End of Chapie! –

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btw...if u guys had trouble imagining Calem, i drew a pic of him so that it wud help, maybe just a little.

Colored:

.

Not colored:

.

PLz review!!^^

Oh! almost forgot...exams will be cuming up agen, so itll probably take sum tym 4 d next chapie 2 be uploaded agen. Gomen.

WISH ME LUCK!! XP

[[if d link dusnt work, jus type in 'calem' on photobucket]]


	29. Chapter 29

wahahahah!! got some time on the comp!! XP

anyway, sorry 4 d link. not only does this site not allow names, it also dusnt allow sites!! gosh.

anyway, ill try d link agen. i juz added spaces dis tym so u guys can c it. so juz take it out wen u wanna visit d site, k?

Calem, not colored:

http:// s127. photobucket. com/ albums / p135 / katkat1995 / ?action= vi ew & cur rent = calem2. jpg

Calem, colored:

http:// s127. photobucket. com/ albums / p135 / katkat1995 / ?action= vi ew & cur rent = calem. jpg

There!! :]]

[[hahaha!! 3rd upload!! gomen...d link was jus RILLY annoying!!]]

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- Chapie # 29! –

The beach was breath-taking! The white sand scattered all over the beach, the shimmering water splashing onto shore creating tiny ripples upon it, the sun directly above us and the sky partly full of clouds as the wind coolly flew by. It was the perfect weather too! From where I was standing, you could see a bamboo-made bar with someone serving behind it in the east part of the beach, and a few people enjoying themselves under the sun. I was wearing a big smile on my face as I placed a hand over my eyes to block out the sun.

"Wah! Utau, It's beautiful!!"

She put on a smug look as she crossed her arms and looked towards the direction I was.

"Why do you think I was pushing you to come with me? I wanted you to see this."

I just continued staring off at the beach, a smile still on my face until I realized something.

"Eto…why are there only a few people out here with great weather like this?" I wondered.

"Hm? Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you! My recording company bought me my own private beach as a reward for gaining back my popularity! And I didn't really know what to do with my own beach, so I allow other people who work in the same company as me to spend their time here when they have nothing to do!" She exclaimed.

I just sweat dropped.

"I-I see. Your own private beach."

"Oh! By the way, Amu-chan. About Ikuto…"

"Hm? What about him?" I asked as I faced her.

"…I texted him last night and invited him to come today, but I don't think he'll actually show up. He didn't even reply to my text yet. Sorry about that, Amu-chan." She said apologetically.

I slowly put on an expressionless face as I looked back towards the beach.

"So he really wont be able to make it, huh?" I asked quietly.

"B-But in his place, I decided to invite someone else, Amu-chan! So don't look so down yet!" She stuttered.

'Yet?'

I faced back towards Utau again as I heard a sudden break of a car coming from behind her. I widened my eyes as I saw the door of the white limo suddenly swing open, and out stepped a grinning Kukai wearing a pair of orange and yellow swimming trunks, holding a huge beach ball in one arm, and a towel around his neck. I just stared at him with wide eyes as he looked up towards the sky and placed his free hand above his eyes.

"Hah! Sugoi! Now THIS is a beach!" He exclaimed excitedly.

As soon as he noticed me, he widened his eyes a bit and faced me as he put on a big smile.

"Yo, Hinamori!"

A bead of sweat slid down the side of my face as I quickly put on a shocked expression.

"K-Kukai?! What are you doing here?! I thought this was Utau's private beach!" I stuttered.

He just put on a confused look.

"What are you talking about? Weren't you the one who invited me to come here and even sent this limo to pick me up?..." he asked as he pointed at the shiny car behind him with his thumb.

"…And I must say, Hinamori, That's quite a limo you got there. It even has its own Jacuzzi!!" He laughed.

I slowly face Utau with a straight face.

"Was he…"

"yup!..." she smiled.

"…No need to thank me!"

I just sweat dropped.

'I wasn't planning to.' I sighed.

"E-Eto…Thanks for coming Kukai." I said as I faced him with a nervous smile on my face.

"Ha! No problem! I was looking forward to this anyway. It's been a while since I've been to the beach! Plus, I get to spend some time with you as a bonus!" He exclaimed.

A weak smile slowly formed on my face by his enthusiasm before Utau suddenly grabbed my neck with her arm.

"Hai! Let's get this day started!" Utau suddenly squealed as she grabbed my wrist and dragged me over to the beach's private changing room.

"Souma-kun, seeing that you're already in your trunks, we'll see you later after we get changed, ne?" She told him with a huge grin on her face.

Kukai just laughed.

"Hai, hai. I'll be right here."

As soon as we were in the changing room, Utau placed me in a corner as I watched her pace back and forth in front of me with her thinking face on.

"U-Utau?"

"Alright, here's the plan. Since Ikuto couldn't make it today, we'll just double the fun that you were originally supposed to have using that soccer lover to make up for it, and in order to do that, you'll have to be the flirtiest and cutest you'll ever be!" she said in a quick tone.

"N-Nani?! What are you saying all of a sudden?!" I asked as beads of sweat formed behind my head.

She looked at me with a confused look before replying.

"Tch. Just follow what I say, to the letter, and everything will be fine. Now c'mon, undress!!"

I just sweat dropped as I stared at her with disbelief.

"Utau…"

* - * - * - *

As soon as we were done changing, Utau and I left the changing room. We spotted Kukai immediately, relaxing on one of those beach benches where you can actually lie down on. His head resting on a pillow behind him, and one leg bent up in a relaxed position. His hands behind his head, his elbows up, and his eyes closed with a weak smile plastered on his face.

"B-but Utau, he looks so calm. I don't think-…"

"Psshhhh!! Don't even bother thinking, Amu-chan! Just do what I tell you to, or 'who knows what I might unleash upon you.'" She said, trying to imitate my voice.

A bead of sweat slid down the side of my face as I gulped and walked on.

"You are so lucky you are currently my best friend, Utau."

She just smiled as she pushed me along. As soon as I was in front of Kukai, she elbowed me on the ribs, signaling me to start operation: 'have-more-fun-with-the-soccer-lover-than-with-no-show-kitty-cat', as Utau calls it. I just grumbled under my breath as I placed my left hand over my right elbow in a cute pose that I got form Utau.

"E-Eto…sorry for making you wait so long, Kukai." I said as I forced on a smile.

Kukai slowly opened his eyes to look at me, then gawked and sat up straight as he did. My bikini top was hardly just a piece of light pink cloth covering my breasts with black strings tied behind my back to keep it in place, while the bottom only covered the front and back of my hip area, and the sides were tied together with more black string [[of course, the bikini was made of the proper material –winkz-]]. My hair was tied up in a high ponytail and my bangs were swept to one side [[hey, don't forget people's hair can grow a bit throughout a whole year.]]. Along with the pose, it makes the perfect 'cute, innocent, and sexy chick' look, yet again, according to Utau. A bead of sweat slid down the side of my face as Kukai managed to stutter some words out.

"H-Hinamori? Is that really you?" he asked with wondering eyes.

'Tch. What's that supposed to mean?' I thought as a small vein popped up on my cheek.

"Ahahahahah, of course its me, silly! Who else could it be?" I laughed nervously as I quickly sat down beside him on the bench, my back facing him, commencing to 'phase 2'.

I placed my left hand beside me as I slowly rubbed the back of my neck with the other, all while my eyebrow started twitching with embarrassment.

'Yosh! For phase 2, you have to do this and that as sexily as possible! Rub body parts if necessary, just do it!'

I got another vein on my cheek as I saw Utau, grinning, with a smug look on her face as she crossed her arms. She was wearing a simple black 2-piece with yellow stripes outlining the edges, sort of reminding me of a bumble bee.

'How come her swimsuit is so plain?! That is so unfair!!' I complained in my head.

"I-I don't know, Hinamori. You're acting kind of weird today. Is something wrong with your neck?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"E-Eh? O-Of course not! I'm perfectly fine!" I stuttered as I got back up and waved my hands frantically in front of me, still wearing the nervous smile on my face.

He looked at me with wondering eyes for a while, then quickly put on a weak smile.

"Heh, fine or not. You look great in that swimsuit, Hinamori." He said, his face thoughtful.

I widened my eyes a bit as I felt myself start to blush, and I slowly lowered my head, a weak smile forming on my face.

"A-Arigatou."

"Kyaaaaa!! Kawaii moment!! I can't wait to rub this in Ikuto's face for missing out on this!! Hahahahah!!" Utau laughed as she grabbed her digital camera out of nowhere and suddenly snapped our picture.

"U-Utau!!" I stuttered as she laughed and showed us the picture she took.

Annoyingly, she took a picture of us every time she had the opportunity to. While we were eating, while we were in the water, and even when we were simply talking.

"Tch. That Utau can be so annoying sometimes." I said weakly to Kukai while we were sitting together on the shore. That water pulling back only inches from my toes, and the sun slowly setting in front of us.

"Hm? Then why is it that she is your 'best friend'?" He asked curiously as he threw a random pebble into the water.

"…Normal people would think of their best friend as 'kind' or 'funny' or maybe even 'loyal'." He continued.

I let out a low chuckle.

"Well, I guess I'm not normal."

"Eh? No! I didn't mean it that way!" He said as a bead of sweat slid down the side of his face and he put on a nervous smile.

"I know that, silly. I only said that because…my reason for Utau being my best friend, is a little different than normal. She's my best friend because she's hyper and…I think that she has all the energy that I ever lacked. When I'm with her, it feels like I'm making up for all that lost energy. And also because…she's fun that way." I smiled as the sun sank lower into the horizon.

Kukai just stared at me with an expressionless face, and his chin resting on his fist.

"I don't really get what girls think sometimes…but that sounded pretty reasonable." He said as he put on a weak smile.

"Hm. Well I'm glad you think that way."

I shivered as I felt a sudden blow of the wind against my body.

"W-Why is it suddenly so cold out here?" I stuttered as I wrapped my arms around me.

Kukai looked at me through a pair of concerned eyes before he threw his towel, that was formerly on top of his damp hair, around my shoulders and covered me up with it. My eyes widened as he placed a hand on my shoulder and pulled me closer to him.

"Kukai?" I asked calmly as I looked at him, already used to his surprises.

I think I saw a light shade of red on his cheeks before he lowered his head a bit.

"Think whatever you want, but I don't like seeing you in any kind of bad situation, no matter how small it is. Especially if there is something I can do about it. If anything ever happened to you…I'd just feel terrible. I'd feel like it was all my responsibility." He said thoughtfully.

I just stared at him for a moment, then put on a weak smile.

"Well don't," I said calmly as I brushed his cheek with my fingers, instantly making him raise his head again a bit.

"…if anything bad ever happens to me, its all because of my bad luck. How can it possibly be your responsibility, when you always help me up whenever I'm down without me even asking for it? Sometimes, you even help me more than I could ever deserve, Kukai." I continued with a smile.

He looked at me with a somewhat apologetic look on his face before he lowered his head again and placed his hand over mine, which was still on his cheek.

"Easier said than done, don't you think?" He said calmly.

"Hardly"

He let out a weak chuckle.

"That's more like the Hinamori I know. The girl who helps other people, even if it means hurting herself in the process. I'm not the one helping you up, Hinamori…it was the other way around this whole time."

"Hm?" I said as I put on a confused look.

He let out another weak chuckle before he replied.

"No. I want you to find that out yourself. How you were helping me without even trying…or noticing for that matter."

"Eh? But that will take me forever! How will I figure that out if I never even noticed it?..." I asked.

"…It'll take sometime for me to find an answer to that!"

"Heh, that's okay. I can wait. I have all the time in the world." He said with a smile as he looked up towards the sky.

I completely forgot that his hand was on mines until he lightly tightened his grip on it. His cheek was warm. I didn't even notice up until now. It wasn't the kind of warmth you'd expect form someone who tool a dip in cold water just a few minutes ago…I…liked it.

- End of Chapie! -


	30. Chapter 30

heyy!! sorry for d, i think, late upload. i actually finished dis chappie last sunday, but well, u noe...exams and all. But don't 4get, i hav my own life 2, so dont rush me O_e

[[darn chemistry -_-]]

----------------------------------------------------

- Chapie # 30! –

I didn't notice Utau creep up beside me until a sudden flash got mine and Kukai's attention, immediately making him let go of my hand.

"Wahahahah!! Most Kawaii pic yet!! I'm gonna drive Ikuto insane with this one!! Hahahahaha!!" Utau laughed as she wailed her camera back and forth.

I Just sweat dropped.

"Geez, she's more hyper now than ever." I said weakly.

I widened my eyes a bit as I noticed confusion suddenly wash over Kukai's face.

"How can those pictures drive Tsukiyomi crazy? I just ignored it at first, thinking that it was one of their 'habits', but now I'm just curious." He said.

Beads of sweat suddenly formed behind my head.

'Gah. Not good.'

"Ah, E-Eto…I think Utau said something about how much Ikuto hates it when she uses his brand new camera." I lied as I gestured my gaze towards the camera Utau was waving around.

"Oh, so that's how it was..." he said as he widened his eyes a bit, sounding convinced.

I just sighed in relief.

"…but…if Utau is as rich as she says, why doesn't she just buy her own camera?"

Shock suddenly ran through my veins as I jerked back my head to face him again.

"Ahahah, well, that's a mystery. Maybe she just wants to annoy Ikuto." I laughed nervously.

"Hm. That sounds so like Utau." He said with a straight face and crossed his arms across his chest.

I just let out a weak chuckle.

"I guess you can say that."

A few minutes later, I heard Utau suddenly gasp beside me. I turned to face her with a wondering look on my face.

"Utau? You okay?"

She was facing towards the exit of the beach, above the tall white staircase leading to the sidewalk, with her mouth wide open in the form of a smile.

"Amu-chan, look." She said as she pointed towards the direction she was facing.

I put on a confused look before I obediently turned my head around to see what she was pointing at, and Kukai followed, curious as well. I widened my eyes as soon as I saw Ikuto walk by the edge of the beach with his eyes calmly closed and his hands in is pockets. He had headphones over his ears and he was wearing a short-sleeved blue jacket and a pair of white knee-length cargo shorts.

"Tsukiyomi?" Kukai said to himself weakly and in confusion.

Utau just widened her smile before she suddenly yelled while waving a hand up in the air to catch his attention.

"IKUTOOOO!! OVER HEREEEEEE!!"

I sweat dropped as I stuttered her name with a straight face.

"I don't think he'll be able to hear you with those headphones over his ears." Kukai said for me.

But Ikuto halted to a stop right in front of the stairs, as he opened his eyes and faced towards our direction while he slid his headphones down to place it around his neck.

"Ha! Of course he would hear me! He has the ears of a cat!!" Utau laughed.

"Hm. So this is were you guys were." He said calmly.

"N-nani?! What are you talking about, you liar!! I texted you just last night to invite you to come with us to the beach, then you didn't even bother texting me back to at least say that you couldn't!!" Utau yelled childishly as a vein popped up on her forehead.

"Tch. Well I obviously couldn't come because you didn't' even bother texting in WHICH beach you were going to, baka." He replied calmly with a hint of irritation on his face.

Utau just blinked twice before letting out a nervous laugh with a straight face and a weak smile as she lightly scratched her jaw with a finger.

"Oh yeah. My bad."

Kukai and I sweat dropped as we faced her.

"So it was her fault all along…" I said weakly.

"Should've thought so…" he said.

Ikuto turned his attention to Kukai who was just sitting beside me, and put on a quick grimace.

"What's he doing here? I thought it was just you and Amu."

"Huh? Oh yeah! I invited him in your place, Ikuto!! You know what they say, the more the merrier!!" Utau smiled.

After a few seconds, Ikuto slowly put on a weak smirk and turned his attention to me.

"So, did you have a good time, Amu?" he asked, his voice thoughtful.

"E-Eh?" I stuttered as a bead of sweat slid down the side of my face.

"E-Eto…I guess so." I said weakly as I started to feel myself lightly blush and I lowered my head a bit.

Ikuto just shrugged.

"Well that's good then; otherwise inviting the soccer lover would've been just a waste." He said.

I raised my head again and looked up at him with a pair of half-shocked eyes as I noticed Kukai cross his arms across his chest, annoyance washing over his face.

"Geez. He makes it sound like I was just being used." Kukai said through his teeth.

"K-Kukai, don't think like that!..." I stuttered as I faced him.

"…of course you weren't being used!"

He looked at with a wondering look at first, then just put on a weak smile.

"I know you too much to even think that you would do that to anyone, Hinamori…but on the other hand…"

He took a glance at Utau with a straight face.

"…I don't even know HER that much, and yet I think that she actually has the head to do that."

I let out a weak chuckle at what he said.

'Well, he thought right.'

A chill suddenly ran down my spine as soon as I saw a tiny smirk form on the corner of Utau's lips.

'Crap. What's she thinking about now?' I asked myself as beads of sweat formed behind my head.

She lowered her head for a while then quickly put on a smile as she raised it back up.

"So anyway, Ikuto. What do you think of Amu-chan's new swimsuit?"

Shock suddenly ran through my veins as my hair stood up at the back of my neck.

"U-Utau!" I whispered.

"It's okay, Amu-chan. I know exactly how Ikuto is going to reply." She said with a confident smile.

I just put on a worried look as I faced back at Ikuto and felt myself start to blush as he examined my body.

"…I don't like it."

Another shock ran through me again as a vein popped up on my forehead and I put on an annoyed face.

"I knew it. Its' too much, isn't it?" I asked groggily as dark blue lines formed below my eyes.

It took him a second to answer.

"Baka, that's not it. I just think that that bikini isn't something that the Amu I know would wear. It's more like something you were forced to wear…" he said, his voice calm, as he looked at Utau, who was just smiling the whole time.

"…and that's the only reason I don't like it. Because you're not happy wearing it."

I stared at him with a surprised look on my face as I saw the wind slowly blow through his dark blue hair.

'H-he…read me like a book.'

After a few seconds, I let out a quick, non-humorous, laugh as I lowered my head a bit.

"I guess I really am…too easy to read."

Utau widened her smile.

"Geez, Amu-chan. After how many times we told you that, who would've thought that you still didn't believe us until now?"

I let out another chuckle.

"Now c'mon, let's get changed already, Amu-chan! Unless you wanna go home wearing that, but hey, I'm not complaining." She said.

A bead of sweat slid down the side of my face as I looked at her.

'She's just like her brother.'

Then Utau dragged me over to the changing room, leaving Ikuto and Kukai behind us, staring off at each other. Inside, I scavenged the inside of my bag for my clothes and hairbrush while Utau did the same. As soon as I slipped into my top, Utau started the conversation.

"Amu-chan, please don't get mad at Ikuto for things like not showing up today, ne?" Utau said, her voice apologetic.

"Huh? What are you talking about, Utau? I'm not mad at him." I said as I buttoned on my shorts.

It took a few seconds for Utau to reply again.

"It's just that…life's already hard on him, and if you get mad at him, I'm sure that'll affect Ikuto greatly. I mean…It really bugs me when the only few times he comes home, he's covered in bruises and scratches. My chest just starts to feel heavy that way. He has no idea how much that hurts." She said weakly.

I slowly faced her with a concerned look on my face.

"Is there something you wanna talk about? Maybe that'll help a bit." I said, my voice thoughtful.

We sat down on a bench, still in the changing room, as Utau thought for a while, trying to place the story in order.

"Well, I just noticed that…Ikuto's not as strong as he used to be…" she started weakly.

My eyes widened, half-surprised as she continued the story.

"…There was always something with Easter that gave him the strength he needed before, but now that it's gone, well…I just don't know what happened to him…" she said as she fidgeted with her thumbs the whole time.

"…So at the same time that happened, I acted the way I act now: happy and carefree, because I felt that if I couldn't help him with anything, the least I could do is make him smile. But I also noticed that whenever he's with you, he seems, actually…happy. He just never wants to show it. That's the reason why I'm always rooting for you two…and also the real reason as to why I gave up on him in the first place. Because I know that I could never make him even half as happy as you do, Amu-chan." She said as she suddenly put on a weak smile.

I was just surprised on how truthful she seemed to be saying all this.

"Utau…" I said weakly.

She calmly closed her eyes for a while, the smile still on her face, then opened them back up as soon as she was ready to talk again.

"Anyway, I know Ikuto's hiding something from us, and I understand because he has his reasons for that…but sometimes, I wish he would at least tell us the minor of his problems, so we wouldn't have to worry so much, or maybe so we could even help him. But he never does." She said calmly before she let out a quick gasp and stood up.

"G-Gomen, I made you listen to all that." She apologized.

"Huh? O-Oh, not at all. I actually wanted to thank you…for telling me more about Ikuto." I stuttered with a nervous smile on my face as a bead of sweat slid down the side of my face.

I blinked twice as soon as I noticed that Utau wasn't listening to me and was staring at the door with a wondering look instead.

"Amu-chan, we kept Ikuto and Souma-kun together outside for a while. Maybe they ripped each other's necks out by now, don't you think?" She said with a childish voice.

"Gah! You're right! Who knows what those 2 did to each other!" I panicked as beads of sweat formed behind my head.

"C'mon then, let's go!!" Exclaimed Utau as she grabbed her bag and ran out of the changing room, and I did the same.

It was a good thing that we were already done changing before we started the conversation.

'Just when I thought that I finally got to see the serious side of Utau…" I sighed in my head.

When we were outside, we saw that neither of them moved much from their former spots. Ikuto was sitting on the top step of the staircase, a bored expression on his face and his headphones back over his ears, while Kukai was still sitting down on his spot, throwing stones one-by-one into the water. Utau and I sweat dropped.

"A-Amazing…" I stuttered with a straight face.

"I bet they didn't even make a sound after we left." Said Utau.

We both sighed at the same time.

"A-Anyway, we should get going now, Amu-chan. Your parents might be worried or something." She said as she put on a nervous smile and grabbed my hand to drag me over to where Souma-kun was.

As soon as we were beside him, he looked up at us and quickly put on a smile.

"Hey! You girls take too long in the changing room, you know that?" he said teasingly.

"Eheheh, gomen. We kinda had a little chat after changing." I laughed nervously.

He just widened his smile as he got up. I didn't even notice that he slipped into a white shirt while Utau and I were changing.

"heh, that's fine. As long as you made it out. Now c'mon, I'll walk you home."

I was about to agree until Utau suddenly cut in before I could say anything.

"Gomen, Souma-kun. But it was already decided that Ikuto would walk Amu-chan home." She said apologetically.

"N-Nani?! Since when?!" I stuttered.

"Since just now!"

I sweat dropped.

'I HATE it when she does that.'

I slowly faced Kukai again with a nervous smile on my face.

"G-Gomen, Kukai. But I can't seem to get out of this one, especially since Utau has that face on."

He was staring at Ikuto with an expressionless face for a while, then turned back to me.

"No, I'm okay with that, but…Are you, Hinamori?" he asked thoughtfully.

"H-Huh? Of course! I trust Ikuto, Kukai, and you can too!" I said in a defending tone.

I immediately let out a quick gasp as soon as I saw Kukai put on a surprised look and we stared at each other for a few seconds as I started to feel my cheeks burn again. I wanted to take back what I just said, but I didn't regret at all saying it. After a while, he just put on a weak smile, but it was obvious that he didn't mean it at all.

"I see. Well…That's okay then, I guess."

I wave of guilt suddenly washed over me when I heard the pain in his voice.

"G-Gomen…" I said weakly as he looked at me with a wondering look.

"What are you apologizing for?..." He asked as he placed a hand on top of my head.

"…It's not like you did anything wrong or something." He said as he put on a smile, more wholeheartedly now.

"Y-Yeah, but…"

I was cut off when Utau suddenly cleared her throat.

"Anyway, Souma-kun. The limo is waiting right outside and you'll be able to leave anytime soon." She said.

"yeah, so I guess I'll be leaving now, then." He replied obediently.

Before he left, he turned to face me and put on a quick smile.

"See you soon, Hinamori."

"Yeah, see you soon." I replied weakly.

He calmly walked up the stairs with his hands behind his head, elbows up. But as soon as he passed by Ikuto, just for a split second, I think I suddenly felt a dark aura suddenly come form the both of them.

- End of Chapie! -


	31. Chapter 31

Whoops. guess i now officially made a Kukamu hater. hehe, sorry.

Oh, and sorry 4 d l8 upload 2. maybe now it was becuse of LACK of rushing. haha. lol.

....

Okay, you're going to 4get i said that.

Anyway, here's chapie 31!^^

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- Chapie # 31! –

As soon as Kukai got into the limo, it quickly zoomed off, not giving him enough time to take a look back [[which was probably what Utau ordered the driver to do.]], leaving me alone there with Utau and Ikuto. A few minutes passed by before Utau suddenly stretched her arms up in the air and gave out a weak yawn—a kind of yawn where there is a huge smile on your face that is—breaking the awkward moment of silence.

"ANYWHOO, I'll be going ahead first!! You and Ikuto can stay for as long as you want, ne?" Utau said as a mischievous grin formed on her face.

Neither of us answered.

"Ooohh!! That's good!! A moment of silence to get in the mood!! Hahahaha!!" She laughed.

A bead of sweat slid down the side of my face at her enthusiasm as Ikuto just shrugged and covered half his face with one hand.

"Sorry about that. Mom used to drop her lots when she was a baby. On the head apparently." He said.

"She even used to gnaw on the crib bars every time she got hungry." He continued.

"Lead paint?"

"Straight form China."

We both sighed.

A small vein formed on Utau's cheek and her eyebrow started twitching before she took a deep breath and massaged her temples [[well, how could you NOT get mad if people were talking about you right in front of your face, right?]]. She raised her head high again as soon as she regained her usual energy.

"A-Anyway, I'll be off now!!" She exclaimed before dashing up the stairs and hopping into the black limo, that I previously used, and drove off.

Ikuto and I just stared at each other with expressionless faces for a while in another moment of silence before Ikuto suddenly sighed.

"We should probably get going now, don't you think?" He said as he calmly brushed his hair backwards with a hand and let it fall back in front of his face again as he dropped his hand beside him and got up.

I stuttered as he suddenly broke the silence and quickly nodded my head by inches before running towards him.

"H-Hai."

The whole walk home was pretty silent except for the sound of our feet scraping on the ground with each step we took. I just continued walking, my head a bit lowered, as my mind unconsciously drifted back to the park. The day of Ikuto's birthday. I scolded myself for rethinking of that day, but I let my thoughts continue anyway. The first thing that I remembered was…--ugh. Never mind. I cringed as I brushed that thought away. Then I remembered what happened after…'that'. How we used to talk so casually at the time. Like we knew each other forever. I lowered my head even more as the silence started to sound deafening. Utau's words suddenly rang through my head about Ikuto hiding something from us. About him having good reasons for that. I know that thinking about this, or actually believing it, wasn't the best thing to do right now, but maybe the silence was finally starting to drive me insane? Who knows. After a few minutes of more deafening silence, we finally made it to my house. This was it. After a few minutes, I would be surrounded by my family's non-stop chatter, and the silence would finally end. I sighed in relief as I walked towards my house, with a little more speed than necessary. Before I even reached out for the doorknob, I suddenly heard Ikuto's soft voice break through the silence. The voice I waited to hear.

"Gomen."

I froze in place as my eyes widened a bit in surprise. It felt like forever since I last heard his voice, even though it was just some minutes ago.

"Ikuto?" I said softly as I faced him.

He had his hands in his pockets and his head a bit lowered his bangs over his eyes. Before he spoke, he raised his head only by millimeters.

"Don't take what I said back there seriously, okay? Even though I said I didn't like it…I thought it looked pretty cute on you." He said, lowering his head again.

I just stared at him, a surprised look on my face, as the silence started all over again.

'Was that what he was thinking about all this time? He was worried that he hurt my feelings by saying that?'

I slowly lowered my head a bit as I waited for a few seconds to pass by.

"Why is it that…I don't experience the feelings that everybody expects me to have today?" I mumbled weakly to myself.

He looked up at me with a wondering look on his face, not quite getting what I just said. I sighed, trying to relax myself a bit.

"So let me get this straight. Just when I finally get home, THAT'S when you want to start a conversation? Nice, Ikuto. Don't you think that's just a bit wrong?" I said with a hint of sarcasm present in my voice.

He had a half-surprised look on his face for a second before a weak smile slowly replaced it.

"If that's how it is, then I don't wanna be right." He said, his tone back to the tone I always knew. The tone I loved and longed to hear.

I just let out a weak chuckle.

"Go home, Ikuto." I said weakly with a smile as I turned for the door and opened it.

"Roger that." He replied seconds early before I closed the door.

As soon as I did, I just stood still behind the door for a brief moment, my hand still on the doorknob. Then I slowly slid the door open and took a peak outside, not quite knowing what I would achieve from doing so. When I looked, Ikuto was gone. I just sighed, half-knowing what to expect, but before I shut the door and headed out to bed, something white on the ground caught my attention. I widened my eyes a bit in curiosity as I opened the door wider and bent down to pick it up. It was a note with the most elegant hand-writing I've ever seen printed on top.

'If you're looking for me, I already went home. Get some sleep now, Amu'

I just stood there, Frozen in place as I stared at the letter. A few seconds after reading it, a weak smile slowly formed on my face.

"Well that's a first. He finally went home without a scratch."

I calmly closed my eyes, smile still on my face, as I tucked the note in my pocket and called it a night.

* - * - * - *

)(Normal POV)(

Utau stretched out her arms with a huge smile on her face as soon as she got out of the limo. Her body became stiff from riding in that limo for who-knows-how-long.

"Arigatou, Driver-san!" She said with the usual energy in her voice.

"Anytime." The middle-aged driver replied before he zipped off into the dark road.

Utau was waving after him, the smile still on her face, then walked over to her house. She opened the door allowing the moonlight to pour into the dark unlit room. The light switch still being on the other side of the room, she just switched on the tiny lamp, lighting only half the area as she closed the door behind her and sighed.

"I wonder if Amu-chan made it safely home. Who knows what Ikuto did to her. That perverted cat."

She widened her eyes as soon as a light gray rectangle on top of a drawer a caught her attention.

"Hm?" She said as she walked towards it curiosity washing over her face.

"Ikuto's cell phone? It's not like her to leave something behind here."

A mischievous grin suddenly formed on her face as soon as an idea struck her.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to mess with his stuff a little. I'll just consider this as payback for that stupid lie he told to Amu-chan. Which was so not true." She said as she reached for his phone with one hand and placed the other behind her head, feeling the mysterious little bump which was there for as long as she could remember. Which was when she was 4. She couldn't remember anything before that.

The first thing that came to her mind was to check his inbox. Which was exactly what she did. It took a second for her to finally take in what she saw. The long line of messages all form the same sender. She widened her eyes in shock when his inbox was nothing like what she expected at all. She just scrolled down to the bottom of the inbox, staring at the never-changing sender. She only took a quick glance at the brief messages beside the senders, stopping at the first message she saw when she opened the inbox and pushed in 'read'. Her eyes widened even more as she read the message.

Sender: Easter

Tsukiyomi-kun, we have arranged you a meeting with her today, 9:30 a.m. don't be late. You know very well what will happen if you are, and if something unexpected interrupts this meeting. We will be looking forward to seeing you.

Utau just stared at the phone, completely frozen in place, with an unreadable expression on her face. Just in time when she heard the door click open and Ikuto stepped inside the room. Utau's back was facing him.

"I'm home." He said, his voice bored.

Utau didn't reply. As soon as he noticed how quiet she was, he faced her with an expressionless face.

"Utau?"

A few seconds passed by before Utau slowly lowered her head and started trembling, phone still in hand.

"Ikuto, what is the meaning of THIS?!" She suddenly yelled furiously, all humor and childishness she had a minute ago gone, as she turned around to face him and showed the phone to his face.

"Why are you still on contact with EASTER!? Ikuto, ANSWER ME!!"

Ikuto jut pursed his lips as he glared at the phone, then at Utau.

"That's none of your business." He said with an irritated voice as he crossed the room in 2 long, quick strides and grabbed the phone from Utau's hand then shoved it deep in his pocket.

"What are you talking about?! It's every bit my business as it is yours!! Tell me what's going on, NOW!!" she demanded, more anger in her voice now.

Ikuto didn't reply. He just lowered his head a bit to the right, pursing his lips again. His fists were shaking beside him, not quite knowing what to do next.

"IKUTO!!" Utau suddenly yelled as she grabbed the collar of Ikuto's jacket and pulled it upward, almost above her head.

Ikuto faced her with his expression half-surprised. There was a short silence as Utau's fists started trembling against his shirt, and she started lightly panting, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

"Ikuto, I swear. If Amu-chan gets involved in whatever idiotic thing it is you're doing and gets hurt, I'll never forgive you!!" She yelled as the tears slowly started to slide down her cheeks.

Ikuto's eyes widened as soon as he heard Amu's name, wondering how she suddenly came into the topic. The room was momentarily filled with the sound of Utau's broken sobs before she was ready to talk again.

"Amu-chan…Amu-chan is a beautiful person who gets up every time she falls, and says it was all because she lacked the effort. She helps complete strangers with everything she has, and doesn't care a bit about the pain it would inflict on herself. She would just endure it all in, never consulting anyone in order for them to not worry about her. She's just…she's just so Amu-chan that way." She said, her voice getting softer as she slowly loosened her grip on Ikuto's jacket.

There was a short silence as Ikuto just stared at her, an expressionless look on his face.

"You don't have to tell me about that, Utau. I know her enough."

Rage suddenly filled Utau again as she pushed Ikuto away form her and the tears dripped down from her face. She stared at him with ferocity in her eyes and her fists tightly closed by her sides, her knuckles whitening, ready to hit him when necessary, but hesitating.

"Then do something already!!" she yelled, almost desperately.

She slowly lowered her head again, bangs covering her exhausted eyes, and her knees started trembling below her.

"…I'm…confused now. I don't know who I want to help anymore. I don't know who I want to understand. Whether it's you or Amu-chan. She means as much to me as you do, Ikuto. But every time I want to one person happy, it requires the use of the other person. I knew it. I'm useless after all. And I knew it all along." She said weakly, using up the last of her energy as her legs gave in, and she dropped to the floor. Her legs bent backwards and she was in a sitting position.

"I'm useless."

Ikuto wanted to reach out to her, but he hesitated midway, not thinking it was the best thing to do right now. He just sighed.

"Then just help Amu."

- End of Chapie! -

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Haha!! Cllifffyyy!! XD

I'm so evilzzz.....


	32. Chapter 32

Yeesh! wen i said dat i wuz 'evil', i didnt mean it literally! =_=

anyway, soryr 4 d l8 upload [[yet agen]]

i wuz juz pretty lazy dis whole tym...due 2 skul ruining my temporary slice of heaven during christmas...-sigh-

anyway,

Chappie 32!! X3

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**- Chapie # 32! –**

Utau raised her head a bit to look up at him with exhausted eyes.

"What are you saying?"

He didn't reply. He just lowered his head as a few more seconds ticked by.

"Just… don't worry about it, Utau." He said as he turned for the door and slowly walked towards it, hands in his pockets.

"Even if you may not trust me anymore, believe me…" he said before he closed the door behind him and faced forward, leaving Utau inside the room.

"…What I'm doing… is to protect Amu."

* - * - * - *

I sighed as I walked down the school hallway, moaning at the fact that the weekend somehow slipped right by me, but I felt as though the world was starting to take pity on me by making the whole day quickly slip by as well. Through Biology, English, Math, History, and all my other subjects. I was surprised that sensei didn't even bother calling my attention when he noticed the countless times I've been spacing out. Tadase even tried chatting with me to bring me back to the real world. I just gave out weak nods and quick 'mm-hm's' at whatever he said. Finally, after a few minutes, he gave up with a sigh and went back to his seat. I was grateful for that. I didn't really feel like talking to anyone today. [[Even though that's actually what I did for the whole day]] as the final bell rang, I let out a weak sigh as I slowly got up I picked up my bag. Everybody waited for me to leave first before they left the room themselves. Probably because they were too afraid to nudge me or wanted to get a last glimpse of my back before heading home or something. How annoying. As soon as I stepped out of the school building, the sunlight suddenly hit my eyes, instinctively making me squint and place a hand over my eyebrows to block it out. After blinking a couple of times, a tall yellow figure suddenly formed in my view. It was standing by the school gate, just a few meters away from me.

"Hm?" I hummed to myself as my vision got clearer.

"Utau?"

Her back was resting on the side of the gate, her arms locked across her chest, and an unreadable expression on her face. As soon as she heard me say her name, she slowly turned her head to face me. That's when I noticed the lack of life in her eyes that sent a light chill down my spine. She simply stayed quiet for a few seconds before choking out a weak 'Hi'. I was about to say something else before she suddenly grabbed my wrist and dragged me off somewhere. She seemed to be dragging herself along too, only having a quarter of the energy she used to have.

"U-Utau?" I stuttered as we passed through the park gate.

"D-did something happen? Does it involve Ikuto? Coz if it does, I'll-…!"

I stopped my angry thought midway as soon as she suddenly came to a halt in front of me then slowly lowered her head. I started to feel her whole fist tremble, bringing my wrist along with its rapid vibrations.

"Please, Amu-chan—I don't want to talk about Ikuto right now." She croaked.

My eyes widened at the sentence. Something was way off here. This wasn't the same Utau I got my first popped ear drum from. This was the serious side of Utau that, at least once in my life, wanted to see. But now that I finally saw it, I kind of wished I didn't. This serious side if her quickly smashed the image of the Utau that I was so used to. The image that I used to find really annoying at times. Now, I somehow found myself wishing that I could see that annoying image once more. To chase away the current Utau that I was seeing before my eyes. The image of the best friend I used to know.

"U-Utau?" I said shakily.

"What happened?"

She didn't reply. She just lowered her head even more as her fist shook even more violently, then she let go.

"I-I cant say it—I cant!" she suddenly said with desperate anger in her voice as I saw the tears start to slide down her face.

My eyes widened in shock, wondering what on Earth would make Utau react like this. What would make the most cheerful and Happy-go-lucky person I know react this way.

"Utau…"

She didn't move. She just kept quietly sobbing in front of me, and I saw the tears drop down from her chin to the ground, creating dark gray spots on the concrete below us. I just let out a weak sigh.

"Okay already. Stop crying now. Everything's gonna be fine, okay? I'm sure that whatever happened, it'll solve itself somehow." I soothed her as I reached out to touch her shoulder.

But before my hand came even inches near her, she quickly hugged me lightly by the neck, sobbing into my shoulder. I just stood frozen there for a split second from her speed, but after I recovered, I caught a glimpse of Utau's head on my shoulder, damping it with every sob. Then I slowly raised both my arms and placed my hands softly on her back.

"C'mon, it's gonna be just fine, so quit it already. You're a grown woman for heaven's sake." I said teasingly.

Somehow, this kind of felt weird. I could never imagine myself in this kind of situation with the old Utau I used to know. The Utau I knew before we became friends. This fact made me confirm that whatever was happening was serious to the point where Utau momentarily used her former personality, and that it somehow involves Ikuto—but—what was it?

* - * - * - *

I popped open a can of Melon juice that I bought from a nearby vending machine, and let a soft 'fsshhhh' sound escape from the can, then I handed it over to Utau who was sitting down on a bench in front of me.

"Here. Drink it."

She looked up at the can with a wondering look on her face, then when she saw that it was her favorite flavor, she gave out a smile and gladly accepted it. She seemed to feel better now. After wiping off all her tears, letting out a few sniffs, and fixing her hair, she gained another quarter of her energy back. She was like some modern doll you needed to take care of delicately in order to charge its batteries. A doll that once fully-charged, will let out a loud explosion big enough to eliminate half the state, and guess who'll be blamed for it. She glugged one big gulp from the can then separated it from her lips, letting out a loud refreshing sigh right after. I had no idea why, but I tiny vein suddenly popped up on my cheek.

'What's up with her? Just a few seconds ago she was sobbing like mad, and now she's acting like none of that stuff happened!'

After wiping off a small blob of juice form her cheek, she looked up at me with a relaxed look on her face. Which pissed me off even more.

"Sorry about earlier, Amu-chan. I was in a dramatic moment" she smiled.

"Yeah. I kinda guessed that." I said as I folded my arms across my chest, resisting the fierce urge of bonking her right on the head and turning back time as if nothing happened. But at least I would have the pleasure of actually doing it. Just this once.

"Sorry about dragging you all way here right after school too. I just needed to go somewhere relaxing while the tornado in my head was in motion."

'I guess that helps explain her I.Q.'

I just shrugged.

"So do you feel like talking about whatever it was that happened yet?"

I asked.

Then she pursed her lips then slowly lowered her head a bit again, running a finger lightly around the top of the can in her hand.

"Now isn't really the time for that, Amu-chan." She said glumly, continuing her last dramatic scene.

"You don't have to tell me the details, just tell me what on earth could've made you react like that." I said as I sat down beside her.

She pursed her lips again, obviously wondering if what she did back there was too much. Which it was.

"I just don't feel like talking about it. I don't even quite know the details myself."

Translation: She went into Oscar-actress mode and got desperately mad over something she's not even sure about.

I just sighed.

"Just never do that again, okay? Do you know I actually thought disgusting mushy things that never in my life was I supposed to think about?" I asked, sounding exhausted.

Utau's eyes widened after I finished the sentence and blushed a bright shade of scarlet red, holding onto the can even tighter. A bead of sweat slid down the side of my face as soon as I saw her reaction.

"Okay, what's gotten into your head this time?"

She just shook her head violently as her blush got deeper.

"N-Nothing!"

I just sighed, already knowing that there was nothing I could do about that anymore.

* - * - * - *

A couple of days later, Tadase-kun offered to walk home with me, worried because I never did stop spacing out during classes. He's been doing so for the past few days. But as usual, I rejected his offer. Honestly, I kind of felt guilty with each turned-down offer I gave him, especially since we don't usually talk much anymore. But what could I do? It's just that—for some reason, I just didn't feel like spending time with him—I felt like I wanted something else.

After getting home from school, I quickly dropped my bag in my room and changed into some casual attire. I just threw on a pair of white knee-length shorts, a baby-pink top, and a white short-sleeved jacket over it. I didn't feel like going all dressy today either. After grabbing some money form the counter, I took off. I wasn't quite sure where I was going, but I just wanted to step out for a few minutes. I had a really good feeling that I would get something from this. Be it good or bad.

As soon as I passed through the same park gate that Utau dragged me through a few days back, the image of that one place suddenly formed in my head. Not quite sure what to do next, I just followed where my feet took me. In a few minutes time, that familiar-looking bench was suddenly in front of me.

'Okay, what was I doing here again?' I thought as I recalled my actions this morning.

As I looked up at the sky to refresh my mind, a leaf broke off from a branch above me, slowly floating all the way down until it landed in front of my feet. Then it was followed by a few other leaves that made the same actions, scattering all around me, being blown around by the soft nudge of the breeze. I took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Coming over here wasn't such a good idea after all. It's just the same as any other day." I said to myself.

I sat down on the bench in front of me, right on the place I used to sit on when I was with him. It seemed too peaceful without him. Too quiet. I compared the image I was in right a now to the image of us that day. At first, I saw myself laughing in the first image, 2 cats with me. One made out of chocolate in my hands, and the other laughing along beside me. It was laughing the kind of laugh you would mistake as a smirk. It was laughing the laugh I missed so much. It was laughing his laugh. His real laugh. Then I placed that beside the image I was currently in. Now I saw myself sitting alone on the same bench. Looking down at my feet and feeling the wind blow against my hair and face. Not a hint of laughter anywhere.

I just sighed.

I didn't want to think about this anymore. It didn't quite make me feel comfortable. Then at exactly the same moment that I got up, I caught a glimpse of blue from the corner of my eye. But no reaction came to me. I didn't want to give myself any false hopes. It really could've been anything. A middle-aged man dressed in a blue suit, a genetically abnormal blue tree, a clown dressed in all blue entertaining a kid's party, it could be anything really. But my curiosity killed me anyway. With an expressionless face, I turned towards the direction I saw the color.

Surprise suddenly washed over me as I widened my eyes in shock. Ikuto was walking towards the other direction away from me. His hands in his pockets and his eyes calmly closed, just like how he usually walks. A bunch of feelings suddenly exploded inside of me so quickly that I couldn't make them all out. One side of me just wanted to run towards him then burst out crying in tears, while the other side wanted to yell and scream at him for no reason at all. Thousands of things just zipped through my head all at the same time, grasping for opportunities. Any opportunities at all. But I had to do something before there was nothing else I could do anymore. As he walked further away from me, I suddenly panicked and unconsciously, started running towards him.

"I-Ikuto!!" I yelled after him.

He immediately stopped in his tracks, and before he could turn around to look at me, I was suddenly hugging him from behind. I noticed the surprised look on his face before I buried my face in his back. I wasn't even fully aware of this before he muttered my name.

"Amu?" I heard him say in his velvet-like voice.

As soon as I heard him speak, I widened my eyes then blushed a light shade of red from embarrassment. I quickly shut my eyes tight then buried my face back in his back. I didn't know what to do next. Stupid instincts. I quickly felt wet streaks slide down from my face, damping his shirt along with it.

'W-Why am I crying? There's nothing to cry about! Stupid tears!' I screamed at myself.

I tried to stop any more from flowing out, but quick sobs suddenly interrupted my concentration. I couldn't stop it. Tears just continued flowing out, totally immune from my control. We stayed frozen there as seconds passed by. Everything quiet except from the faint sound of my sobs filling the air.

"…Why are you crying?" he suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

I hesitated, but my conscience forced me to reply.

"…I –- I don't know…" I said, sobs forming between every word.

He didn't reply. He just gave me a few more seconds to calm myself down. Then as soon as my sobs started to soften, I slowly, and hesitantly, loosened my grip around his waist. The second I did, he quickly turned around, and I suddenly found his arms around me. I widened my eyes in surprise, letting my last drops of tears slide down my cheeks. In that exact moment, my whole body suddenly started to feel warm. I started to feel more complete—like there was some hole in me before that needed to be filled and I never noticed until now. I never noticed that there was something I needed in my life…something I desperately wanted.

"Iku-…" I managed to choke out.

"Don't cry—please. Every time you do, I can't help but feel that it was my fault." He mumbled softly into my hair.

"…You have no idea how guilty I feel every time you cry—even if I had totally had nothing to do with it."

I felt a new set of tears suddenly form behind my eyes, but this time, I managed to take control over them…because of what he said.

"Iku—Ikuto…" I croaked between sobs before I hugged him back, my hands clutching onto his hair. Like I never wanted to let him go ever again.

* - * - * - *

He started the hug, so as to be expected, he also had to end it. I hesitated, but let go of my grip with a sigh. He placed both his hands on my shoulders and stared intently in my eyes with a concerned look as I tried to compose myself.

"Feeling any better?" he asked.

I didn't want him to hear the shakiness of my voice, so instead of replying, I just gave out a weak nod. He let out a relieved sigh.

"Well, that's good to hear."

As I stared at his face, the recent happenings suddenly popped up in my head. Reminding me that I had something I needed to do. I hated to ruin this moment, but I had to confirm this.

"Ikuto?" I managed to choke out.

"Hm?" he hummed as he looked up at me, a weak relieved smile on his face.

I waited for a few seconds to pass by before I finally spoke again.

"Did something happen between you and Utau?"

I immediately regretted saying that when I saw his eyes grow wider and a streak of panic cross his face for a split second. Then he slowly let go of his grip on my shoulders.

"Ikuto?"

His bangs were over his eyes and his fists were trembling at his sides. Hesitating to answer my question. That confirmed that he definitely was involved, and that it was serious.

"Ikuto, tell me! I need to know! Maybe I can even help!" I suddenly yelled as I saw him take a step back.

He didn't reply.

"Ikuto!!"

He quickly let a 'tch' sound escape his lips before he looked up at me again. My chest suddenly felt heavy as I saw the pain and stress in his eyes. The pain that I caused him.

"If only you didn't have to find out about this. We still could've been friends at the very least…" he said.

"…but you know I can't not answer a question you ask—I'm totally weak against you." He said.

That caught me by surprise. What did he mean by 'We still could've been friends at the very least?'

"Ikuto?...what are you saying?"

He lowered his head again a bit, placing his hands back in his pockets, as he forced the words out in disgust.

"I'm…engaged."

**- End of Chapie! -**

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Ta-Da!! XPP

lol


	33. Chapter 33

well, apologizing wont help anymore, so i'll stop now =_=

kinda had a hard tym finding d tym 2 type dis all in, plus i got a little lazy in writng the middle part f dis chapter =3

plz dont kill me!

hope u guyz understand...

[[plus! i have like, a billion projects 2 do 4 school! gosh! how annoying! =_=]]

anyway, here's chapie 33!! X3

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- Chapie # 33! –

It actually took a couple of minutes to sink in. Probably because I was trying to push it out. I simply didn't know how to react. I didn't know how to respond. I just stood perfectly still there, staring at his face the whole time. Thousands of feelings instantly exploded inside of me again, but this time, I was able to make some out. It was mostly a mix of surprise, shock – and anger. Then I suddenly felt like something was clawing at my chest, slowly, trying to inflict the pain twice as much than it was supposed to be. Probably, to make up for all those times it went unnoticed, and it successfully did so. I wanted to blurt out protests, I wanted to shout out complaints, I just simply felt like screaming – but nothing came out of my mouth when I opened it.

"H-Huh?" was all I managed to choke out.

He didn't reply. He just kept his head lowered, not even bothering to look up.

"Who? Ikuto, who are you engaged with?! I said as my voice grew a bit stronger with each word.

He continued to stay silent as he pursed his lips, trying his hardest to not answer any more of my questions. I didn't know why I had this angry feeling towards him. I know I should have been happy for him, that he finally found his special someone, but…somehow…it was that certain reason that made me mad.—I can't believe it.

I'm the worst.

As soon as that fact hit me, I quickly shut my mouth, not wanting to push it any further. I just suddenly felt like letting it go. I wasn't stupid enough to not know that I couldn't do anything about this anymore. He chose her, and I'll respect his decision.

As soon as the hole in my chest was finished, the sharp clawing quickly stopped, leaving behind the burden it left me. I slowly lowered my head, feeling my body started to get number and number, and I now imagined myself looking like Utau that day—Utau.

I slowly shrugged my body to stand in a straight position, but I left my head hanging, and I placed one hand on my elbow as I forced on a weak smile.

"Sorry—about that. Well uh, anyway, I hope you're happy with her Ikuto, whoever she may be, okay? I'm sure that girl is very lucky to have you as her fiancé. I'll be cheering for you two." I said as I raised my head, my face looking a bit unsure, but the weak smile still there.

I was a bit shocked when he suddenly let a 'tch' sound escape his lips and he started baring his teeth, his bangs still over his eyes so I couldn't see his expression,

"I-Ikuto?" I stuttered as I opened my eyes up to look at him.

In a split second, he chara changed, producing two cat ears on his head – then he quickly took off, leaving me behind in the park, staring after his back.

* - * - * - *

Countless weeks passed by me, and I never saw him again since that day. The day when everything I had left, turned against me. The black hole in my chest never did recover, but I somehow found a way to suppress the weird and painful feeling I've been having. I never even told Utau about what he said or in what situation he was currently in, because I knew that that wouldn't help any. And I really didn't want Utau to come bawling to me every day either. I became even less social at school to the point that I looked I never even got my charas, and my old life returned to me. My popularity even doubled and I once again regained my spot as 'The cool & spicy lone wolf Hinamori-sama'. Not that that made me any happier or anything, but it kinda did a little. Because at the time I didn't have my charas yet, I haven't even met him. I wondered if I would have been happier if I never did.

I quickly brushed the thought away with a swift shake of my head.

What am I thinking?

With a big lazy yawn, I stretched my arms up in the air and clenched my hands into loose fists. As soon as I dropped them back down, I rubbed the back of my head, wondering what to do next. It was a lazy Saturday morning and I was in my favorite pair of baggy baby pink pajamas and comfy cotton-white T-shirt that said in glittery pink lettering, 'Grab me, I can be your soul mate'. I got up from bed just a few minutes ago, not fully aware of what time it was, and now I was just laying back on the living room sofa. I wrapped my arms around my knees and turned a bit towards my right. The living room's red curtain was now a bright shade of pink, blocking out the sunlight that was trying to push itself in. I saw a few specs of dust dancing around in front of the curtain, then disappearing as soon as it got far enough from it, and into the darkness. And, as if it was a favor asked by a close friend, I got up from the sofa and walked over to the curtain. As soon as I was in front of it, I slowly brought my arm up in front of me, grabbed a handful of the curtain, and dragged the whole thing to my left. Bright light quickly rushed in, lighting up the entire room, and bringing along the dust it collected form the curtain. I didn't even notice how dark it was in here until it was lighted up. Outside, the roads were still empty, and the windows of houses were still dark. Well, it IS a Saturday.

I let out a sigh.

"I've been waiting for the weekend to come for the whole week, and this is how it turns out."

I walked back to the sofa and plopped down right on top of it. I tried to think about something to keep the boredom out of my head. The first thing that popped up was school. I thought about my report on the Great Wall of China, that was due Friday. When it was built and who built it. I quickly shook that thought out of my head. I was not going to let school ruin my already boring Saturday. But it kept insisting on popping up anyway. I gave up with a sigh, then tried to think about something else about school. Friends popped up in my head next. Rima, Yaya, Tadase, Kukai—Kukai? That reminds me. I didn't have a chance to see Kukai at all in the last few weeks. I wonder what he was doing now. Probably still sleeping his ass off.

I giggled at the thought as I walked over to the phone. I quick phone call wouldn't hurt anyone, right? I just wanted to catch up on what was up with him during the last few weeks. I listened to the faint beeping sounds as I dialed in his number on the phone. It rang once, twice, thrice, before I heard a big sleepy yawn coming from the other line as soon as someone picked it up.

"Moshi…moshi…" I heard Kukai say between yawns.

As soon as I heard his voice, a wave of relief suddenly washed over me. It's been so long since I last heard his voice. There was always something about it that seemed so welcoming. Maybe that's why I've been so open with him for as long as I could remember. Either way, I temporarily forgot all my problems as soon as I heard it. It just simply calmed me down.

"Hey Kukai. What's up?" I said, trying to hide the enthusiasm in my voice.

"Hm? Hinamori?" he replied as his voice got higher with surprise. He sounded really awake right now.

I heard a relieved little laugh from the other line before he replied.

"Hey! How's it been? It's been way to long, Hinamori! You really should call me more often!" he said in a single breath.

I rolled my eyes.

"Oh sure. Now the girl's the one supposed to call the guy, huh? How romantic." I said, every word dripping with sarcasm.

He just let out a playful laugh.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry. But—I didn't know you wanted it romantic." He said, his voice getting a bit lower.

"N-No! I didn't mean it that way!" I protested.

He let out another laugh.

"Yeah yeah, sure"

I sighed.

'As playful as ever'

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted when I heard a coughing sound coming from his line.

"So…um…wanna go out today? It's been a while since we did." He said in a cute, shy kind of voice.

Well, that certainly caught me by surprise. I never heard Kukai using his shy voice before. I guess this meant he really wanted to go out.

"Um. Okay , sure. Where do you wanna go?"

"Ha ha! Sweet! Oh, and I don't really have anywhere in mind. Why don't you pick?"

"Geez. What's with that? You're the one who invited me out and you don't even have a venue in mind? That is so like you, Kukai…"

I heard a low chuckle form the other line before I continued.

"…Oh well. Anywhere is fine really."

"Is that so? Then what about the old ice cream shop where we ran into each other before? I hadn't had anything sweet to eat in days! You don't know what kind of hell I've been through!"

"Lemme guess. The bad kind?"

"Oh gee, you guessed the obvious."

I couldn't help but give out a little laugh. Kukai could always be counted on to brighten my day.

"So it's cool then. What time are you available?"

"Hm. Will 30 minutes from now do?"

"Sure. I'll be waiting for you outside your house then, okay? Don't be a minute late!—or early!....No wait. On the other hand, take as long as you want okay?" He said as I heard one of his older brothers yell out:

"Kukai!! Get your ass over here!! What the hell did you do to my lucky pair of boxers!?!?"

Yet another chuckle managed to escape my lips, but it came out sounding like a guffaw.

"Sure sure." I choked out between weak laughs.

"Okay then. Gotta go!"

"See you later."

And with that, I hung up.

* - * - * - *

30 minutes gave me just enough time to fix up my hair and get dressed. The bottom ends of my hair were curled, giving me the 'cute-and-innocent' look [[hey. I wanted to try out an experiment with my hair]]. I was wearing a kind of tight-fitting purple jacket with black checkered patterns on it, and sleeves only up til' my elbows, along with a plaid black ruffle mini-skirt and a pair of black knee-length leggings underneath. I kinda missed wearing dark-colored clothes. It always made me feel much more comfortable than cheery-colored ones. I took one last glimpse of myself in my full-length mirror and checked every angle of my outfit before confirming that I looked just fine, and walked towards the front door. With one last tug of my skirt, I turned the knob and pushed the door open, quickly letting in the cool late-summer breeze that blew on my hair and made some of it fly over to the back of my shoulder. It was now quite sunny outside. A few children were playing by the sidewalk in front of their houses, throwing a baseball to and fro at each other, and grown-ups were chatting and laughing away, sitting at a white garden table on some ones lawn. When I finally averted my eyes to the open front gate of my house, I saw Kukai resting his back against the side of it, his arms crossed loosely across his chest, and his head a bit lowered with a bored look on his face. He was wearing a pair of white knee-length cargo pants, an orange shirt, and a green camo-type, short-sleeved unbuttoned polo shirt over it. As soon as he heard my door swing open, he slowly raised his head up and put on a big grin as he saw me.

"Ha! You're finally done!" He said cheerfully as he stood up straight and uncrossed his arms, then placed both his hands in his pockets.

I put on a weak smile as I tilted my head a bit to the right.

"Eheheh, gomen. I took my time just like you said, though."

He just let out a weak laugh as I walked over towards him.

"Let's get going then," he said calmly with a sweet smile on his face as he offered me his arm.

I stared at it for a few seconds before I looked up at him with an eyebrow raised teasingly.

"What are you, some kind of gentleman now?"

He let out another chuckle.

"Don't get used to it. But hey, it wouldn't hurt to try and be one for a girl, right? At least for a day."

"Hm. I guess not." I said as I gladly accepted it, and we walked along.

* - * - * - *

Kukai and I sweat dropped at the same time as we stared blankly at the 'Sorry, we're closed' sign of the ice cream shop. There was a short moment of silence between us as the wind blew against our faces.

"Guess I forgot. The ice cream shop doesn't open til' after 9." Kukai mumbled weakly.

"Gee, you think?" I replied as I squinted my eyes at the big red '9:00' on the sign. Which was like it was placed there especially for the reason to piss me off.

'I knew I called him a bit too early.' I thought.

I was shocked when I suddenly heard a low rumbling sound coming from beside me, as a bead of sweat slid down the side of my face, and Kukai placed a hand over his stomach.

"Oh man. I really gotta eat soon. Sorry." He said with a straight expression and a weak smile on his face.

I let out a weak sigh, and put on a calm expression again.

"You know, there's a small grocery store there right around the corner. They sell real good stuff there, and for a good price too. Why don't you go on ahead and buy something to eat while we wait? We came here for a friendly date, and that's exactly what we'll do!" I smiled.

He had a surprised look on his face for a second, before he put on a big sporty grin again, looking pleased.

"Well, there's an idea! But I would've preferred if you didn't use the word 'friendly' in that sentence, Hinamori."

I widened my eyes a bit in a wondering look as I thought about what I just said, and where I placed 'friendly'. As soon as I realized what he was saying, my face quickly turned a bright shade of pink and I stared at him looking shocked.

"K-KUKAI!!" I yelled after him as he zoomed away from me and towards the grocery I directed him to.

"Took 'ya long enough!!" he yelled teasingly before letting out a loud guffaw.

A tiny vein popped up on my cheek as I listened to his footsteps fade with every second that passed.

'Yup. Definitely as playful as ever.' I thought with a twitching eyebrow.

I sighed as I straightened myself up, currently feeling pissed at the moment—then realization suddenly hit me hard on the head.

'What was I supposed to do now? Just stand here and wait? Who knows what that guy will buy!! And how many!!

I yelled at myself for forgetting the one most basic and important rule when out with Kukai:

Be prepared for any kind of situation his stomach may bring, no matter HOW impossible!

With the last twitch of my eyebrow, I tried to clam myself down unsuccessfully, and the fact that I could hear some annoying girly laugh form somewhere didn't help one bit either—wait.

Why does that laugh sound so familiar? I could swear I've heard that laugh somewhere before.

I stared towards the direction I heard the laugh from, and confirmed that it came from the left corner of the building in front of me. Curious yet again, I slowly approached the area one step at a time. And for some reason, I was really cautious in what I was doing, but I couldn't bring myself to stop. After reaching the corner, I took a tiny peek at first, but my eyes suddenly widened with shock at what I saw. No wonder that voice sounded so familiar. Lulu was pointing at something in the distance while giggling a child-like laugh, in her usual blue dress and balloon skirt; she was also arm-in-arm with—Ikuto.

I shakily took a step back, too surprised to do anything else. I just couldn't believe it. The girl whom Ikuto was engaged with all this time—was Lulu. Of all people. I couldn't understand why I felt this way. I couldn't understand why I was so affected by him, and what he was doing. It's like all the suppressed feelings I kept inside of me quickly started spilling out, and before I knew it, I felt wet streaks slide down my face. Ikuto didn't even notice me while he was staring towards the direction Lulu was pointing at with that bored expression on his face. I've longed to see Ikuto's face again, for at least one more time—but I didn't want it to be in this kind of situation. If this is how it turns out, I'd wish I haven't seen it at all. I'd rather see it 10 or 20 years from now, and hold on to the pain longer, than see his face, and him, with—another girl. I shut my eyes tight, letting bigger tear drops slide down. I couldn't bear to see the 2 together for much longer. Instinctively, I took off towards where I came from, opening my eyes slightly to let the tears fly behind me, and at that same moment, I passed by a surprised Kukai, with a bag full of groceries in his arms.

"H-Hinamori?!" he yelled after me, quickly dropping the bag.

"W-Wait up!!"

He ran towards me.

I shut my eyes tight yet again, not caring if I collided with something right now, head on. Right now, I didn't really care about anything.

'Sorry, Kukai.' I thought as I dashed around a corner.

Thankfully, he didn't follow me any further. I think he knew I needed some time alone—that was what I liked about him. He always knew what I needed and when I needed it. Of course, I also knew that he slowed his running down on purpose to see if I really needed some time alone or not. There was no way I could actually outrun him. And, like it was on cue to add to the mood, I felt a few wet drops land on my head first, then on my arm. Pretty soon, a light drizzle started to pour down as I came to a halt.

"Great. Just great" I mumbled to myself.

I expected this day to be just a normal day with Kukai, so you can't blame me for forgetting to bring an umbrella—plus, I don't watch the weather updates that much.

As I stared up at the sky, I closed my eyes calmly as I felt more wet drops land softly on my face and slide down. I guess this was one of the good things about the rain. When I stand under it—no one can see me crying.

A drop landed delicately on my bottom lip, slowly sliding down all the way to the bottom of my chin, and traced along my jaw line, making its way all the way down to my throat. I felt like I just wanted to stay here forever. It felt really relaxing, the rain. But I figured if I did, I'd be soaking wet in a matter of minutes, and probably even give the male passerby's a sight to see. With a defeated sigh, I pulled my partly-soaked hood over my head, and started walking. I passed by some old buildings that looked like they were ready for demolition soon, and soaked yellow cat quickly dashed by me and into an alley. After a few minutes, I stopped in front of a nearby taxi stand. It was weird because there was already a cab parked there. The light was turned on, so I could see what was inside. It looked really warm and cozy inside. The smooth leather seats were dry and looked really warm to sit on too. The driver was sleeping in the front seat, arms crossed on his chest, and a white snow hat pulled down to cover his eyes. Yup, he looks safe enough. In a slow run, I made my way over to the cab and opened the door to the back seat—just to be safe. As I sat myself down, I saw him blink his eyes open and let out a big yawn, and I shut the door. I shrugged myself to face forward as he arranged his hat to expose his eyes. He was pretty young for a driver, and I liked the color of his eyes. They were a light set of grape purple, not something you see everyday—contacts maybe?—his face was also clean. Not a hint of hair anywhere. With semi-sleepy eyes, he took his cap off and brushed his tousled chocolate-brown hair back with his fingers before he put the cap back on. Wonder how many weeks have passed since he finished high school? His eyes widened a bit as he faced me. Probably wondering why I was so wet.

"Dude, how did you get so soaked?" he asked me.

Yup. Knew it.

"Um…I was out—walking."

He looked at me with his now-bored eyes before he stifled a yawn and faced back forward.

"Well, whatever. Just try not to get the seats too wet"

I shifted my eyes over to where my butt was resting.

'Too late' I thought as he drove off.

* - * - * - *

"So where you headin'?" he asked while squinting his eyes out the windshield.

"Huh? Oh right…."

After telling him my address, he quickly did a lazy-styled military salute.

"Roger that."

The rest of the ride was pretty silent, though after a few minutes, he started a conversation.

"I'm no Shanghai Llama, but I'm pretty sure that it isn't really smart—or wise—to go out walking in the rain, you know."

I rolled my eyes.

"Gee, thanks of the tip. I'm sure I'll use it the next time it rains." I said sarcastically.

"Hey, no prob. I'm a pro at giving tips." He smirked.

"Whatever" I said with a sigh.

Somehow, talking to this guy king of felt relieving. He reminded me of someone—with that smirk of his.

"Hey, mind if I ask a question?" I suddenly said.

"Shoot"

"How old are you?"

He hesitated a bit before he replied.

"I'm—17."

"Oh…okay then." I mumbled as I looked out the window beside me.

There was another short moment of silence in the cab before he finally let out a sigh.

"You don't seem so surprised"

"Hm? Why? Should I have been?" I asked, confused.

"Well, not necessarily, but most people would've been. I mean, I'm still supposed to be in high school for heaven's sake." He said calmly without turning away from the windshield.

I just kept staring forward. Kind of speechless at what he said.

"So…why aren't you?" I croaked.

"Hm? Well, my parents are really poor, so they simply couldn't afford to send me to school anymore. So far, this job had the highest salary I could find. My boss was kind enough to hire me."

I surprised expression crossed my face for a split second, before I lowered my head a bit, feeling guilty for even asking.

"O-Oh. Sorry." I stuttered.

He suddenly let out a loud guffaw which caught me by surprise.

"Don't be. I was such a brat back then, that my parents thought that me and my low grades were the reason for us being broke in the first place. My sister and her singing addiction doesn't help much either."

"W-Wait. You have a sister?"

He took a quick confused glance at me before facing back forwards.

"Oh sure. Me being a driver doesn't surprise you, but having a sister sure does." He rolled his eyes.

I let out a little giggle before replying back.

"So tell me more about this sister of yours."

The rain started to lighten as he used the windshield wipers to clear his view.

"Hm. Well, she started her singing addiction ever since she saw this blonde chick perform on TV. What was her name? Utau I think?"

Now that really caught me off guard.

"Well whatever. Ever since then, She's been whining to my parents about buying her very own karaoke set. Ha! Can you believe that?!" he laughed.

I couldn't help but laugh along with him. This guy just made me feel so comfortable.

"You know , it's just weird a bit. Telling a complete stranger about one's life." He smiled.

"Well, no one forced you to."

"True."

The rest of the ride went by pretty quickly. We kept talking the whole way. Laughing and giggling about other random stuff that just popped up into our heads. As soon as we reached my house, I sighed as I opened the cab door. Thankfully, the rain had already stopped by then.

"Well, I guess I better get going now." I said as I placed a foot on the wet concrete below me.

"Yeah. Was fun while it lasted though." He smiled as he faced me.

I smiled back at him before shutting the door, and mouthing him a quick 'Bye'. As soon as I turned away form him, I slowly started walking away and towards the house. As my feet splashed on the puddles of water on the ground, I felt my problems returning back to me one by one, making me want to rush into the cab again. My problems just seem to vanish in there without me even noticing. And before I actually did, he suddenly called out to me.

"Wait!"

I widened my eyes a bit, kinda shocked at the sudden break of the silence. As I turned to face him, I saw his window rolled down, and his arms crossed on top of it, his chin resting on top of his arms. I slightly blushed at the sight. He looked so cute like that. I was going insane trying to remember who he reminded me of so much!

"Tell me what's your name first before you go." He mumbled softly as a lock of his brown hair fell on his forehead.

"Oh. U-Uh, it's Amu." I stuttered.

He averted his eyes upward in a wondering look.

"Amu, huh?..." he said, still looking up.

"…that's a cute name." he suddenly smiled at me.

My blush got even deeper as he said that.

'Who does he remind me of?'

"E-Eto…thanks." I said as I lowered my head a bit.

"Heh. No problem. Hope we meet again soon. Bye—Amu-chan." He said before driving off, leaving me standing in front of the house, staring off into space.

I blinked twice before realizing that he already left. I didn't know what came over me, but I suddenly yelled out to myself, and my voice echoed in the streets.

"WHO THE HECK DOES HE REMIND ME OF SO BAD?!?!"

* - * - * - *

I plopped down flat on my bed after taking a cool shower and changing into a new pair of pj's.

'Oh, how I missed this bed.'

I stretched my arms up above me, then dropped them back down heavily. I grabbed my warm yellow covers and wrapped myself up in it. I felt really sleepy right now—but I just couldn't sleep yet. Something was still bugging me. I rolled over to face the other side of my bed. I couldn't help but think about…about…

…

The hell. He didn't even tell me his name! and there I was, stuttering my name out to him! Ugh!

I promised myself, from this moment, that now would be the last time my eyebrow would twitch for the whole day. Heck, the next day would be here in a few more hours.

'Yup. That guy definitely reminds me of someone.' I confirmed.

Talking to that guy really did feel relieving--but it also felt wrong at the same time. And for some reason, right after I thought that, HE suddenly popped up in my head, and tears almost immediately started to drop down my face again. My heart felt heavy as I remembered what I saw this morning—the one image that I would never, but always want to forget. I clenched my hands into fists as I shut my eyes tight, letting more tears slide down.

"It hurts, Ikuto. It really hurts." I mumbled softly into my covers between broken sobs.

I felt so useless at that moment. I knew crying wouldn't bring me anywhere, but I just—couldn't bring myself to stop.

And with that, I finally fell asleep, my face still most with wet streaks. I guess my sleep got the better of me in the end.

)(Normal POV)(

"Hm, Amu-chan seems really troubled right now, huh?" said Miki as she popped out of her egg.

"Honto? What makes you say that, Miki?..." followed Ran who flew right beside her.

"…I kinda felt that too."

"Well, that's mainly because we're Amu-chan's Shugo charas! We're all connected with her somehow, so it's easy for us to know how she feels, and sometimes even what she's thinking, right?"

"Exactly. But I wonder when she'll finally realize that she feels that way, because to her—Ikuto can't ever be replaced." Miki said coolly as she went into her thinking pose.

"Sugoi! You really are an expert in these kind of things, Miki!" cheered Suu, but Miki ignored her.

"Ha! So that's why she thought talking to that guy was wrong! He reminded her of Ikuto!!" Ran yelled out proudly.

"Oh, you actually caught up?" Miki faced her with a straight face.

"Eh?!"

A vein popped up on Ran's forehead.

"W-What's THAT supposed to mean?!?"

"But…do you think we should tell her about this?" suggested Suu.

"No. I think this is something—she should figure out on her own."

- End of Chapie! -

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	34. Chapter 34

sorry sorry sorry 4 d l8 chappie!!

its just that im neck-deep in schoolwork ryt now!!

if this wasnt education, i wud be reporting child abuse ryt now!!

geez...

-sigh-

anyway, i really want to upload faster like i did before [[lyk a chapie every week...]] but now that's just impossible.

i was actually thinking of asking somebody to type in my story 4 me or completely handing it over to that somebody, and just tell them the idea that i had ready 4 dat story, but then if i did that, then they would be troubled...=_=

how irritating..

[[i am just SO glad that summer vacation's coming up soon...]]

oh, and sorry if u didnt lyk d last chappie's ending either...but most stories r lyk dat, arent they? hope u guys understand =D

i've also been receiving some questions about Calem, so i thought that maybe i should just tell all of you at the same time...

"Dont worry, i'll be using him soon ;)"

lol

trust me. once u guys read the ending, everything that ever happened in this crappy story will finally make sense XD

and speaking of the ending, i came up with a really good one in the past few months, but then, i have no idea of what to put in the middle to make that ending happen. such an idiot, arent i? XDD

so anyway, chappie 34!!

...

sorry that it isnt dat long either =3

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

**- Chapie # 34 –**

I slowly began to blink my eyes open, adjusting to the bright light I immediately saw. With a yawn, I stretched my arms up above me, tiny exhausted tears forming at the corner of my eyes. After waiting for about 5 seconds, I kicked my legs off the side of the bed and got up.

'Last day of the weekend. Better wake the best of it.' I thought as I brushed my frizzy hair straight.

After changing into a simple black plaid mini-skirt and pink off-shoulder top, I decided to take my time before heading down for breakfast. I couldn't help myself. I just didn't feel like I was in the mood to do anything. As I stepped towards my bedroom window, I accidentally knocked over a pile of paper that I used to doodle on when I was bored. Sheets and sheets or paper were now scattered all over my floor [and, I just cleaned it too!], most of them still clean and doodle-free. I never really was interested in drawing that much. With a loud sigh, I slowly bent down to pick them up one by one. Well, this is certainly one way to take my time. I came across on of my doodles halfway. It was some kind of pig-devil thing with pink butterfly wings behind it.

I remember this. I drew this a few months ago while I was bored in class. I couldn't help but give out a little giggle before placing it on top of the pile in my arms. Next, I picked up a simple stick drawing of Ran, Miki, and Suu. I got scolded by Miki for that one. Apparently, it 'ruined her artistic sense'. A bead of sweat slid down the side of my face before I placed that on top of the pile too. As soon as I picked up all the sheets of paper, I sighed as I got back up and stretched my stiff legs.

"Finally done…" I moaned as I shut my eyes calmly.

As soon as I opened them back up, a sheet of paper on the floor caught my eye.

"Hm? Guess I missed one." I said to myself as I walked over to it and bent down beside it.

Before I picked it up, I placed the stack of paper I had down on my right and flipped the sheet over. My eyes widened a bit as I remembered what I drew on it.

"Weird. I thought I lost this doodle a long time ago." I said as I scanned it.

It was just some totally random picture I drew when I was feeling lonely.

It was a blue outlined circle with 2 triangles on top of it. One a bit to the left, and the other to the right. It also had 3 short lines going through it at its sides. I was pretty much going for abstract that time.

'Somehow, this picture makes me feel a bit better…' I thought as I picked up the pile and got up.

I placed the stack on my desk and brought only that one sheet of paper with me to the window. As I walked over to it, I slowly began ripping it apart into small pieces and kept all the shreds in my hand. As soon as I opened the window, I slowly brought my arm outside and opened up my fist, making all the torn-up paper fly in the air along with the wind. I tucked in a lock of my hair behind my ear as I felt that same wind brush against my face, and watched the pieces of paper fly farther and farther away from me.

'…but I don't really want to find out why.'

* - * - * - *

A few minutes later, I finally decided to go downstairs when my stomach started to rumble. I moaned as I lazily walked down the stairs, arms across my stomach.

"Maybe I shouldn't have taken my time, THAT long."

I continued walking down, eyes closed with hunger. As soon as I felt flat ground again, I opened my eyes exhaustedly, then popped them open as soon as I took in what I saw in front of me.

"What's going on?"

Mama was sitting on the sofa in front of me. Her back facing me, but her head turned towards me with a curious look on her face. And on the sofa directly beside hers was—him. A blank expression on his face while staring at me as well. My eyes grew even wider as soon as I saw a weak smile form on his face.

"W-What's going on here?"

Mama suddenly let out a weak throaty cough as she got up, interrupting the thoughts that were buzzing around inside my head.

"I'm glad you suddenly decided to come down, Amu-chan. Tsukiyomi-kun dropped by here about 15 minutes ago. He said he wanted to talk to you about something, and was very persistent about it. I'll be leaving you two here in the room now. Feel free to talk for as long as you both want—but please, Tsukiyomi-kun…" she said before she faced him.

"…don't even try to go beyond the lines of simply talking."

He gave out a weak nod, then mama turned her back to him and walked towards me. All I could do was stare at her dumbfounded. It amazed me on how serious she was about this, but I couldn't move from my place. I was just staring blankly at Ikuto as mama came even closer to me. as soon as she was beside me, she placed a hand on my shoulder and weakly mumbled something in my ear. It was brief—but very clear. Almost too clear—just like the vein that newly popped up on my cheek.

"I was surprised, Amu-chan. I didn't know you had such good taste in boys." She said with a bright glint in her eye before she dashed off to the kitchen.

"M-Mama?!"

……

I sweat dropped as I stared at the swaying kitchen door with a twitching eyebrow.

'I just knew it was too good to be true.'

I let out a disappointed sigh at my mom's attitude, then suddenly remembered that there was someone else in the room with me right now. I became nervous all of a sudden as beads of sweat slid down my face.

'What do I do now, what do I do now?'

I brainstormed for a few seconds, leaving an awkward silence between us while doing so.

'Well, sitting down would be the most natural thing to do.' I thought with a straight face, wondering how I hadn't thought of that earlier.

With a sigh, I walked over to the same sofa which mama was sitting on, and sat myself down, hands on my lap.

"Hey." I started.

I waited a couple of seconds before he finally replied back.

"Hey."

"…"

I don't know how long we've been sitting there in silence, but it sure felt like forever. I took a quick glance at the wall clock, and noted that only 13 seconds had passed by.

'mm…just knew I had bad luck from the start.'

I let out another weak sigh, just at the moment before he finally spoke again.

"So…you were spying on me yesterday, huh?"

Well, that caught me by surprise.

"N-Nani!? I-I was NOT spying!! I just happened to-!"

-poink-

"W-Wait…how the heck did you know I was there?" I asked curiously.

He weakly exhaled through his nostrils with a smile gently plastered on his face.

"I don't know how anyone wouldn't notice you at the time, Amu."

I didn't know why I started to blush, but I unsuccessfully tried to hold it back with a grimace.

"W-What do you mean by that…" I said, more than asked, as he looked up at the ceiling.

"Hmm…well, what gave you away could've been the little gasp I heard coming from behind me, or the lock of pink hair I saw flow away when I turned my head a bit, or the loud footsteps of someone running away, or the wet dark gray spots on the ground I saw after looking behind me—want me to make a list?" he asked teasingly with a smirk.

I was blushing furiously now.

"S-SHUT UP!!"

'This is just too embarrassing!!!'

It pissed me off that he was making fun of this thing, but the anger kind of lightened up as soon as I saw him, laugh.

"You really are something, Amu. You actually had me worried when I realized that it was you." He said as he crossed his legs and placed his hands behind his head, eyes closed calmly.

I pouted my cheeks and locked my arms across my chest in a pissed-off way.

"Well, sorry about that, Mr. hotshot, I swear to never displease his highness ever again." I said, sarcasticness showing a little more than necessary.

He let out another weak chuckle before he calmed back down and looked up at the ceiling.

"Hey. Don't take this the wrong way. Okay? But, in a way—I'm kind of glad you reacted like that…" he smiled.

I couldn't help but blush at the statement as I widened my eyes in surprise—but I wasn't about to let my guard down.

"Hmph. Good thing you told me, otherwise, I really would've taken it the wrong way." I mumbled as I folded my arms across my chest.

He let out another weak chuckle before there was another brief silence in the room. The ticks of the clock seemed so much louder now that I actually paid attention to it. A few more seconds had passed before he finally broke the silence.

"Hey Amu, mind if I ask you something?" he mumbled.

He had his eyes closed and was facing up at the ceiling. He looked so calm, that I would've that that he was asleep if he wasn't talking.

"Hm? What's that?"

He hesitated for a bit, but finally said it.

"Do you have any feelings towards me?"

* - * - * - *

The clock's ticks went by even slower, as I stared dumbfounded at him, eyes wide open. I didn't know how to reply. That was just so out of the blue. I didn't know what was wrong with me, but I suddenly felt my stomach start to churn.

"W-What kind of question is that?!" I yelled out, cheeks already flaming red.

He slowly opened up one eye and looked at me, then let out a weak smile.

"So I guess that's a no, huh?"

I suddenly felt a painful pang on my heart as I widened my eyes even more.

'T-That's not it…! Ikuto, you idiot!!' I yelled in my head as I continued staring at him and felt small tears quickly form ion the corner of my eyes. The kinds of tears that weren't ready to fall yet.

But before I could do anything else to make this situation any more awkward, I simply lowered my head and placed my fists beside me.

'if that's what he wants to think, then be it.'

Ikuto just continued staring at me, his expression not changing for a second.

"I'm—gonna get you a glass of water" I said as I turned around and started walking towards the kitchen.

"Amu…"

I widened my eyes in surprise when I suddenly felt two arms wrap around my waist, making me freeze in place. Then a light blush trickled up on my cheek when I felt his warm breath on my hair.

"Iku…"

Silence quickly followed and left me speechless. I didn't know what would happen next. This situation is just way too awkward for me to handle! A few more seconds passed by, neither of us moving from our position. And just when I couldn't take it anymore, He started...

"I'll finally accept that—you'll never have any feelings for me, Amu…"

'…Iku—to…?'

"…But please…just one favor. If I can't feel your love—then at least let me feel your pain." He said as he lightly tightened his grip around my waist.

My tears finally started to slide down as I lowered my head.

"D-Don't…"

My chest quickly felt heavier, and I felt angry for some reason. Either at Ikuto, or myself. I've reached my limit. I couldn't take it anymore.

"…Don't say such disgusting things when you already belong to someone, you idiot!!" I yelled as I pushed him away from me, tears already dripping down.

He stared at me with a surprised look on his face. I was panting now. Bangs over my eyes, and blushing a light shade.

'What…did I just do?'

I was shocked. That's all there was to it. I did that completely by instinct. I let out a weak gasp as even more tears dropped down. I couldn't face him. Not like this. As the seconds ticked by, we just stood there. Neither of us making a sound. Neither of us moving a muscle.

"Hm…"

I widened my eyes when I heard his voice, and waited for him to finish his sentence.

"…if that's what you want."

With a gasp, I quickly jerked my head up with a panicked look on my face, more tears dripping down.

"I-Ikut--!!"

And just like that, he was gone. I was left there, staring at the empty space where he once was. My chest grew even heavier as I just stood there. The sharp stabbing pain I was feeling right now was immeasurable.

"…to…"

As legs started to feel weaker, I had no choice but to finally let loose as I bent down to the ground, tears spilling out and immune from my control.

"IKUTO YOU BIG IDIOT!!"

* - * - * - *

I stayed quiet as I stared at myself in my bathroom mirror. I was examining my eyes and how red they were. I can't remember the last time I cried like that, if such a moment even existed.

"What's with that guy…" I murmured softly to myself as I combed my hair back with my fingers.

"…coming here all of a sudden wanting to talk to me, then leaving just like that…"

I removed my hand and let my bangs drop back in front of my eyes, small moist drops sliding down some strands and landing on my nose.

"…I really don't get him sometimes…"

I turned on the faucet slowly and bent down in front of it, then washed my face with the cool water that came out. A few seconds had passed before I placed both my hands at the sides of the sink and took quick loud gasps, leaving the tap on. As I heard the water rush to the drain, I looked at myself in the mirror again. Water dripped down from my chin and slid down my cheeks at random moments.

"…but sometimes—I really wish I could."

I grabbed a face towel from beside me and gently started wiping my face. It was my favorite one. Bright fuzzy yellow with pink stripes at the edges.

"Life can be so mean sometimes…everybody can read me so easily…but it never works the other way around…" I mumbled into my towel.

Then I stopped all of a sudden as I brought the towel down from my face.

"…but…even if anybody can read me so easily…I can't help but feel that Ikuto does it differently. It's like he can not only tell what I'm thinking, but also tell how I feel at the moment…"

A tear slowly dripped down my face again, followed by another tear that just newly formed at the corner of my eye.

"…that guy…"

I buried my face in my towel just as the tears really started to flow down all over again—all for the same reason.

"…it pisses me off how he understands me so much…" I mumbled in between sobs.

"…pisses me off so much…"

* - * - * - *

I raised my eyebrows as my cell phone beeped twice, meaning I just got a new message.

"Hm? Who could that be?"

I reached for my phone on my desk and checked the screen as soon as I had it.

"Kukai?"

_'Hey, Amu. You feeling better today? You pretty much left without warning yesterday. What happened?'_

I just stared at the screen for a few seconds, hesitating to answer a bit. I can't just tell him I dashed off because I saw him with her. But—I just felt like I had to tell him SOMEthing. Quickly, I typed in the first thing that came to mind, and pushed in 'Send'.

After a few seconds, my phone beeped again.

'_Okay...I'm not going to say that I don't believe you, but…why would anyone run away because they saw a blue cat and a female dog pass by them? I mean, that's just weird.'_

'Gah!! I'm way too stupid for my own good!!'

I stumbled with my phone in the middle of my freak-out session, then let out a sigh of relief when I finally got my grip on it.

'Okay, now what?'

I brainstormed the best I could, but unfortunately, all my hopes faded away when I realized that it was Kukai who I was texting with. I let out a weak whine as waterfall-like tears fell from my eyes.

_'I have my reasons, you know…'_ I pushed in, then sent.

_'Hai hai. Whatever you say. But then, I wished you would have told me that earlier, then maybe I could have been there to help—even a bit.'_

I paused for a few seconds after reading his message, then slowly started typing in my reply.

_'Thanks, Kukai. I appreciate it, but—I really don't think you can help with this one. It's pretty personal. Hope you understand.'_

After a while, he replied back.

_'It's no problem. 'course I do. But please, a favor. If you ever have a problem, don't hesitate to tell me about it. I won't butt in if it's anything personal or something you don't want to tell me about, but if you think it's something you can simply talk to someone about—then I'm your man…'_

I lowered the phone from my face after reading the whole message, and looked out the window again.

'Sorry, Kukai. But I really don't think that I can fulfill all the favors I've been asked to do today…' I thought as I gently placed my phone back down on my desk and buried my face in my hands.

'It's just something out of my capabilities.'

* - * - * - *

_'Hey, Amu-chan, wanna go out today? (^.^)'_

"…"

I sweat dropped as I read Utau's message to me this morning. The morning 2 days after my last meet with Ikuto, and my last chat with Kukai. I was pretty much ignoring him during the last 2 days of school [[hmm…why do I feel like I'm forgetting someone…-_-?]].

'...Geez...What's with the icon?'

i sighed as i typed in my reply.

_'Where to this time, Utau?'_

It has been a while since I've last went out with her. Maybe this would be a bit refreshing for me.

_'Oh, anywhere is fine, but if I'd choose, it would be the new restaurant that opened at the edge of town. Heard that it's pretty good there^^'_

after reading her message, i just stared at it for a few seconds, then typed in my reply.

_'It's decided then'_

**- End of Chapie! -**

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this chappie would proabably have taken longer to upload if it wasnt 4 ur guys' reviews...

honestly, i was onlii expecting reviews to come in after i upload a chappie, but then some ppl sent me reviews during the one and a half months that i havent uploaded. thnx 4 dat guys!! rilly appreciate it!! X3

and if u guys have any questions about d story, feel free to ask me about it in ur reviews.

THNX AGEN 4 READING!!


	35. Chapter 35

woah! wer has d tym gone?! XDD sorry, its just that summer vacation already started, so i got pretty distracted in the past few days, catching up on--stuff =D lol!

anyway, thnx so much to all the people who still sent reviews during that long break, and to the people who at least viewed my story =3

nothin much to say ryt now, plus i gotta get 2 sleep olredy or my mom will blow another gasket XD so, ENJOY!!

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**- Chapie # 35! –**

I waited for Utau in front of the restaurant she wanted to eat at, wearing a simple black vest over a pink short-sleeved polo top, a pink ruffle mini-skirt, and a pair of black knee-length boots.

'5…6…7…8…'

With a loud sigh, I interrupted my own thoughts.

'This isn't working. I've never been this bored in my entire life.'

I took a quick glance at my wristwatch, and let out another sigh.

'…and it's only been 15 minutes since I got here.'

I moaned as I looked up at they sky and watched the clouds slowly go by, thinking of what to do while waiting for that girl. First, I though of doing aerobic exercises while waiting for her. And it was a good plan too, I had something to do, and I can catch up on my usual exercises,--but then I would've looked like an idiot. Next, I thought of singing a song, but then nothing came to mind. And that's when I chose to count to 1,000,000. I've hardly even made it to 10, and I've already given up. Now, I'm just trying to find shapes in the clouds.

'…cloud….cloud….oh, I see a—cloud….cloud….another cloud….cloud….'

I sweat dropped as soon as I realized that, literally, clouds were all I could see.

'…for this, I blame my 0 imagination…'

The rest of the seconds that passed by me felt like decades, each decade only 5 seconds to each passerby. Finally, with a loud groan, I gave up and walked into "Bites Restaurant" [[What a name!! XDD]]

'She won't mind if I wait for her inside…' I quickly assumed.

As soon as I stepped a foot inside, there were a series of "Good morning's" that echoed all around me, which I effortlessly ignored, and continued walking towards an empty table. I eyed a couple of the waiters and waitresses as I passed by.

'Now…that's just embarrassing. I feel sorry for those guys—especially since they're wearing that tacky uniform.'

The staff of this place was all wearing clown-based uniforms. From the tall stripy jingly jester caps, to the mismatched shoes and socks. Yup, it was a complete set. Anything you can think of, they had somewhere on their body.

'Now I know why Utau wanted to come here. This place is so child-friendly' I thought as I sweat dropped.

When I finally reached the table I was heading for, I quickly sat down on the chair and buried my face in my arms

'Note to self: never agree to go out with Utau anymore. In case I do, remember to bring any sources of fun as much as possible.'

Note taken.

A few minutes passed by, and I didn't even move form my position one bit. I'm not sure if what even passed by were minutes yet, and I think I even took a nap during the time. Then, like how a waiter asks for your order only a second after handing you the menu, my cell phone annoyingly rang in my front pocket. I stayed completely motionless for a few seconds, and only answered it when one of the waiters told me to answer it already because the other customers were complaining. I moaned as I lazily picked my phone from my pocket, then I quickly grimaced when I saw the caller's name on the screen. I planned to just keep it ringing and never answer my phone again, but then, they would kick me out of here in a second. Hesitantly, I pushed in the 'Answer' button and brought the phone to my ear, but didn't say anything. I just waited for her to talk first.

"Amu-chan…?"

I widened my eyes in surprise when I heard her voice.

"U-Utau?"

Her voice was so dull, so lifeless. Not a drop of energy at all.

"U-Utau,--is that you?" I asked shakily.

I could tell that it was Utau's voice, but it was just so wrong.

"Hm? Of course it's me, Amu-chan…" she said a pitch higher, in an unsuccessful attempt to sound as normal as possible.

"…where are you? I've been waiting for a while already, Amu-chan.

I hesitated for a few seconds, then finally coughed up a reply.

"Why were you waiting for me? I was the one waiting for you. I've been in here forever! I thought you wouldn't show up at all!"

I heard a weak croaky giggle form the other line before she replied.

"What are you talking about? I've been waiting for you for half an hour already. I thought that you wouldn't show up."

"H-Half an hour?!"

"Uh-huh."

"B-but—I'm already in the shop, and I don't see you anywhere."

I looked around the shop for her, scanning through all the faces of the people—and she was right. She was here, wearing a violet snow cap on her head, all her hair tucked up inside and big shades over her eyes.

'Geez. It's no wonder I didn't see her...' I sweat dropped.

'…She probably didn't notice me either because of those shades…'

As soon as she saw me, she put on a weak smile and signaled a tiny wave with one hand. With a sigh, I placed my phone back in my pocket and walked over to her.

"Geez. And I thought that you stood me up, Amu-chan." She smiled as I sat down opposite her with an exhausted look on my face.

"Yeah, well, I'm just glad that the waiting's finally over." I said with a sigh.

I stifled up a yawn as Utau told the waiter our orders—or more specifically, HER orders for the both of us—and he dashed off into the kitchen, tip already in hand. Probably given by Utau for the best service.

"So, what's the reason you invited me out this time?" I moaned as I wiped a sleepy tear off the corner of my eye.

She looked at me with a wondering look on her face.

"What? There's no reason. Can't I invite a good friend out every now and then?"

I stared at her with a straight face and a suspicious look.

"Well, in your case—no. I know you have a reason for this, Uatu. You always had one for everything you did…"

I loosened up a bit when I thought about the next thing that I was about to say.

"…just like that brother of yours…"

I couldn't see her reaction from behind those shades, but I noticed that she raised her eyebrows as soon as I said that.

I exhaled from my nostrils as I lowered my head a bit, and let out a little smile.

"…except, unlike him, your reasons aren't always necessary…" I giggled.

As she watched me, she let out a weak smile herself.

"Heh, I'm surprised you know me that well, Amu-chan."

"Hey, what do expect from a 'close friend?'" I smirked.

"Good point." She laughed.

She faced me again as she slowly took off her shades, and I widened my eyes when I saw what she was hiding. She had dark bags under her eyes, and her face looked even more pale than normal.

"U-Utau?! W-What happened to you? You have a fever or something?" I asked, concerned.

"Hm? What are you talking about, silly? I'm perfectly fine." She smiled after she hesitated for a while, then pulled out her phone form her purse, typing something in.

"What are you doing?" I asked curiously.

"Firing my make-up artist." She quickly replied with a straight face.

After I watched her push in 'Send', she looked at me with a pouty kinda look for a few seconds, then let out a loud sigh.

"Okay, so I do have a reason for inviting you out today…" she said weakly.

I just continued staring at her, having a feeling that she was hiding something more than just what was causing her to look like what she was now.

"…but—the reason isn't as "unnecessary" as you think…"

I raised my eyebrows at what she said. That certainly caught me by surprise. As I stared at her face, I could tell that she was really serious about this—whatever "it" is.

She just lowered her head and stared down at the shades on her lap, lightly wiping the left lens.

"…you should really stop underestimating me, Amu-chan. I'm not as inadequate as you think." she said plainly as the waiter slowly placed our drinks on our table, making sure he didn't disturb anything. [[ah, yes. The power of tips]]

I didn't say anything after that. I just simply stared at her the whole time, not knowing what to reply. Was I really underestimating her all this time?

A bead of sweat slid down the side of my face as I managed to stutter something out.

"G-Gomen—I really didn't mean anything that way…" I said as I lowered my head a bit.

"…I'm—just really troubled right now."

I was surprised when I suddenly heard a snicker come from her, and quickly raised my head.

"Tch. I know that. I'm just saying is all." she smirked as she looked up at me.

A vein popped up on my cheek as I watched her laugh out loud uncontrollably, immediately making me permanently forget that she was ever serious in all the time that I ever knew her.

"Y-You—just really want to piss me off—don't you?" I muttered with a twitching eyebrow, sending her multiple uncountable glares.

"Hey, I can't handle all these serious moments!" she grinned.

"But you're the one who started it!!" I burst out.

But despite how pissed off I felt right now, I couldn't help but give out a smile. Maybe I finally lost my mind from hanging out with Utau.

"…Anyway, the reason why I invited you out today, was because I wanted to get away form work for a while at least. I've been dying to go out for the past week already, but I got myself stuck in some—research…" she replied as soon as she clamed herself down, but she obviously said the last part of her sentence hesitantly.

I decided to ignore that, not wanting to get pissed off any more.

"Research? But you're a singer. What does a singer need to research about?" I asked curiously.

She didn't answer right away, almost like she was still thinking of what to answer.

"…Well, a singer's job isn't as easy as you think, Amu-chan."

I just stared at her silently for a few seconds. Not quite sure of what to reply.

"Okay then…" was all that managed to come out.

I mixed my shake with a straw for a few seconds before taking a sip of it.

'Bleugh. Kiwi.' I said with a disgusted look on my face.

I wasn't quite sure if I said that out loud or not. I pretty much thought that I was only thinking it, but Utau could certainly tell that I didn't like it.

"Geez. And I thought for sure that you would like that flavor. Sorry, Amu-chan." She giggled.

Upon seeing that little smile of hers, I couldn't help but give out a weak smile of my own. With that one giggle, it looked like she regained some of her energy back—and it looked like her color was coming back as well.

'Geez. What a troublesome girl.' I sighed.

As soon as she composed herself again, she smiled as she looked up at me.

"Wanna switch drinks in that case? I don't mind. I kinda like Kiwi."

"That so?" I said as I raised an eyebrow.

"What flavor is yours, anyway?"

"Banana!" she laughed.

"Banana?—I guess that's better than Kiwi."

With that, we switched our shakes—but kept our own straws of course.

I wasn't even close to halfway done with my drink when Utau suddenly let out a tiny burp, indicating that she was done with hers.

"Ah…that was delicious!!" she said as she let out a refreshed sigh.

All I did was sweat drop.

Suddenly, a thought popped up in my head. Now may not be the best time to ask this, but I don't know when I can get a chance like this again.

"Eto—Utau?" I started.

She widened her eyes a bit as she looked up at me.

"Yeah? What is it?"

I hesitated a bit, but finally managed to choke it out.

"--Do you know anything about what's going on with Ikuto right now?"

I figured that if anyone knew what he was up to, it would be his sister.

Her face grew blank as soon as I finished asking my question, and her fist started trembling softly on the table.

"…what made you ask that?" she asked plainly after a few seconds, then stared back down at her empty glass.

A bead of sweat slid down the side of my face as I thought.

'What did make me ask that?'

"N-nothing! I was just curious is all!" I defended myself.

"mm. That so…" she replied blankly.

I wondered if I should regret ever asking that question, because it seemed that her weariness was returning to her after I did.

"…I can't tell you much about that right now, Amu-chan--but I will—soon enough."

I was confused at what she said. I didn't really get it all. Why couldn't she just tell me now if she was gonna tell me anyway? I felt really disappointed somehow.

'….That idiot cat….always making me worry like this…' I lowered my head a bit as my chest slowly started to feel heavier, and I stared down at my fists on my lap.

"….but….don't worry. Ikuto always has a good reason for everything he does--and you know that." Utau suddenly smiled at me.

I looked up at her, and her smile was the first thing I saw.

I just silently stared at her, surprise shown all over my face.

'… She's right. Out of all the people I ever met, Ikuto was the most thoughtful and responsible. He never did anything without thinking about it first, and he always puts others ahead of himself…'

My bangs fell over my eyes as my fists started shaking on my lap.

"…but that's exactly what pisses me off so much…" I mumbled.

Utau just continued staring at me, expecting me to say more, and waited silently for me to continue.

"… He always prioritizes others before himself—and does things without ever explaining it first….I don't know why I only figured it out now, but…maybe that explains why I always worry about him when he does something for my sake."

I felt a small tear form in the corner of my eye, but I just couldn't bring myself to shut up.

"He's done that for me countless times—but it's only now that I actually acknowledged it."

As soon as I finished that sentence, I felt the tear slide down my cheek, and I watched it drop down to my fist. Utau and I stayed quiet for a few seconds, before Utau finally broke the silence.

"Why does that sound so familiar?" She said as she played with her straw.

"Huh?" I said as I looked up at her.

She just calmly closed her eyes as she continued playing with her straw.

"Don't you ever think that Ikuto also gets worried about you when you do something like that?"

"…What are you saying…" I said more than asked, as I stared at her with a concerned look on my face.

"Tch. Please don't tell me that you haven't noticed, Amu-chan. You and Ikuto are exactly alike! Always prioritizing others before yourselves, always doing things without ever explaining, always making other people around you worry when you suddenly make decisions--!"

Utau suddenly cut herself off when she noticed that we were attracting unnecessary attention. She sighed as she sat herself back down properly.

"Really—you two…" she said as she massaged her temples

"….Such a troublesome pair…"

I couldn't help but let out a little chuckle when I saw her expression.

"What are you laughing at?" she moaned as she faced me.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that--"

I was cut off when I suddenly heard the restaurant door swing open--and in came a grinning Kukai.

"And here starts the nuisance…" Utau said under her breath as she glared at him.

"…No fair, Souma-kun—you knew I would lose from the start!" followed a panting Tadase.

"Hm, probably. But you know what they say: the winner is only determined through his skills--and wit!" he laughed.

"Who says that?"

"Well, I just made it up along the way, but I have a feeling that that line will be said by the athletes of the future generation!!" he grinned.

"Do you even know what 'wit' means?" said Tadase, panting between each word.

"Not a clue." Kukai smiled

Tadase just sweat dropped.

"S-Souma-kun…"

And at that exact moment, Kukai's eyes settled on me.

"Eh? Hinamori!" he smiled even wider.

"H-Hey, Souma-k—I mean, Kukai." A crooked smile formed on my face as I waved at him.

I didn't know how to feel right now. I certainly felt happy that Kukai was here, so I can explain things properly to him—but for some reason…I felt disappointed about something. Tadase smiled as soon as he saw me, and followed Kukai over to our table.

"What are you dorks doing here…"Utau grimaced when they stopped in front of us.

"Geez. You could at least pretend to be happy that I'm here." Kukai sweat dropped.

"Sorry, but I don't think I can act that well." Utau crossed her arms.

A bead of sweat slid down side of my face as I watched them have their inner argument.

'These 2 really can't get along, huh?'

"Tch, whatever." Utau said as she picked up her purse and got up.

"E-Eh? Utau, where are you going?" I asked after her.

"Oh, sorry. I'll be leaving now, Amu-chan. Thanks for coming along with me." She flashed a smile.

"Um…are you sure about that?"

"Yeah. I've gotta get back to work anyway. See ya later, Amu-chan!"

And with that, she left.

"Geez. What's her problem?" Kukai asked as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Forgive her, Kukai. She's just really stressed from work right now." I sighed.

"That doesn't mean she can take it out on me…" He said as a tiny vein popped up on his cheek.

"Just let it go, Souma-kun." Tadase patted his back.

"Tch. Easy for you to say, you never make any enemies, King."

"Q-Quit calling me that already, Souma-kun. You know we're not part of the guardians anymore—well, except for Yaya-chan." He said with a crooked smile.

Kukai suddenly let out a loud guffaw.

"Yeah, sorry. It became a habit."

While they were talking with each other, I just silently stared at the restaurant door, wondering about what it was that Utau would tell me.

"Yo, Hinamori! I asked if it would be okay if we sat here." Kukai suddenly said as he waved a hand in front of my face.

"H-Huh? Nani?" I stuttered as I snapped back to reality.

Kukai let out an exhausted sigh.

"Geez, Hinamori. Are you alright ?..." He said as he placed a hand on my forehead.

"…You've been spacing out a lot recently. Did something happen?"

I stared at him for a few seconds before replying.

"O-Oh. It's nothing—sorry." I mumbled as I lowered my head a bit.

I had no idea why, but on instinct, slowly held his hand on my forehead with my own.

As usual, his touch made me feel a bit better. I let out a weak smile.

He looked at me with a concerned look for a few seconds before he asked me a question.

"Did we disturb anything when we came in?"

I looked up at him as I slowly removed his hand from my forehead and placed it on my lap.

"E-Eh? No. why do you ask?"

He looked at me for a few seconds before letting out a sigh and pulling his hand away from me.

"Was it about Ikuto?" He asked as he sat himself down, and Tadase grabbed another chair and did the same, simply listening to the discussion to make up for everything he missed.

I widened my eyes in surprise at what he said.

'What the--… How did he--?...'

I stared into his eyes which were staring back into mine with deep concern.

"W-What makes you say that…?" I asked shakily.

He continued staring at me, as if trying to find an answer from my eyes. With a sigh, he replied.

"You really didn't think that I wouldn't even try to find but what made you cry like that, did you?"

I blushed a light shade of pink as he kept staring at me, having no intention to stop until he gets an answer.

"…on that day, when I let you go and stopped chasing after you, I quickly dashed back to the place you cried, I turned a corner—and saw the cat walking with that other girl from Easter.

I suddenly felt a stab of pain on my chest as soon as he said that.—that was one memory I didn't want to remember—Or rather, better off forgotten.

Tadase looked at me with a concerned look on his face, wondering what it was that was going on.

"Hinamori-san, if what Souma-kun said was true, then does that mean that you have a certain—relationship, with Ikuto-nee-san?" Tadase finally asked.

I turned to face him with a worried expression on my face, wondering of what to reply.

"Well---I---…" I mumbled as I lowered my head

"…I…-"

"Okay, King. I think we may be pushing it a little too far." Interrupted Kukai with an unsure grin.

I didn't move from my position. That question from Tadase-kun got me thinking a bit.

"A-Anyway, we came here because Hotori was gonna treat me to lunch. He lost to me in a match of rock-paper-scissors." He stuttered.

Tadase just sweat dropped.

"Just when I was hoping you wouldn't remember."

"Haha! Yeah right! As if I'd forget something like that!" Kukai laughed

He looked at me again for a while, then back to Tadase.

"…Now c'mon, we better get ordering." He said with a plain tone and grabbed Tadase's arm.

As he pulled Tadase out of his seat, Tadase hesitated and faced me, a guilty expression on his face.

"…S-Sorry, Amu-chan. I-I didn't mean anything by that question…"

"O-Okay, King, you can stop now" Kukai stuttered as he pulled Tadase away from me, and towards the counter.

"Geez, king, you really don't know anything about girls…" I heard Kukai whisper a few meters away from me.

"…I-Is that so?..." he replied quietly with an innocent expression.

I stared towards their direction for a while and watched them talk to the guy behind the counter, a confused look plastered all over the face that made me give out a little smile. I appreciated what the guys were doing, knowing that I wanted some time alone [[well, except for Tadase]], because if they didn't, they wouldn't be ordering at the counter, because the waiters already take your orders at your table.

'…Maybe… Kukai's right.' I started to think.

'Ikuto—isn't the only person I care about. There are people who worry for me here…' I thought as I watched them beg the guy at the counter to just take their orders already.

The smile slowly faded from my face as the seconds ticked by…

"Maybe…I should just move on from Ikuto…"

**- End of Chapie! -**

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sorry if dis chappie totally sucked XDD


	36. Chapter 36

okay, i honestly hav no excuse now on why i updated this chapter so late O.o maybe its coz i wuz distracted by my summer vacation . rofl. ah well :D

classes start agen after 2 weeks or so, so i'll try my best 2 work on d next chapter b4 then :D and at d same time, try 2 make d most of my remaining summer vacation .

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**- Chapie # 36! –**

I panted as I heavily dropped the box I was carrying on the floor, with a loud 'Thud'.

"Tell me again why we need 5 boxes of fireworks for tomorrow?" I moaned, already out of energy after carrying 2 boxes

"It's for our fieldtrip Hinamori. You know, the one everyone's talking about for the past week?" replied a grinning Kukai as he dropped his box.

My class and Kukai's will be going together in the same trip, due to money shortage. Honestly, I think the reason of this shortage for the fieldtrip, was because of the cost of the fireworks for the same trip.

I took a glance at one of the cardboard boxes on the floor and took note of the big, bold red writing on it.

'Fieldtrip fireworks'

'Geez, why don't I ever notice this stuff?' I scratched my head as I simply looked at Kukai with a blank expression on my face.

"Well, what I really want to know is how I got into this mess…Kukai?"

He suddenly let out a nervous cough as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, what happened, happened, right? Let's just put all this in the past!"

I just raised one eyebrow at him as I crossed my arms.

"I told you it wasn't a good idea to throw a baseball around and try catching it all by yourself. No one can be that fast, and it doesn't help that you keep throwing the ball too hard." I sighed.

"Hey, you don't know til' you try, right?" he laughed.

"And I got into this mess just because they needed an extra hand. What jerks." I mumbled as I looked up at the ceiling.

"C'mon It's not that bad. You have nothing else better to do, right?" he smiled comfortingly at me as he sat on top of his box.

I looked at him with a pouting look on my face for a few seconds before facing back up.

"Well, that's true, but…"

"See? No harm done." He shrugged.

"Geez, you really do take everything too lightly, Kukai." I finger-combed my hair back.

He just gave out a laugh before replying.

"Yeah, well. Its just—"

"—one of the things I love about you. Yeah, I know…" I suddenly interrupted, already knowing what he was gonna say. It was somethig he kept saying throughout the whole week everytime anyone describes him.

He looked at me all dazed, and as a reply, I simply flashed him a smile.

"Boy, it sure sounds better when it comes out of your mouth…" he blushed lightly as he scratched his chin.

I widened my eyes as I started to feel my face burn up.

"T-That doesn't mean anything! I just figured to save you the trouble!" I protested.

"Hai, hai! Whatever you say!" He grinned as he got up and walked towards the door.

"O-Oi!! Where are you going?!" I asked as I ran after him.

"Where, you ask? Home of course! We're already done transferring all the boxes, aren't we?"

"Oh, right. I knew that." I smiled dumb-foundedly at myself.

He suddenly let out a mischievous grin as he turned on the knob.

"Race ya' to the school gate."

"tch, you're on." I grinned, needing to burn up some energy.

And with a quick chara change with Ran, we were off.

* - * - * - *

Kukai took another swig of his spring water before letting out a refreshed sigh.

"Now that hit the spot!" he laughed as he wiped the corner of his mouth playfully.

"I am so glad you're pleased." I moaned.

"Please don't finish up all the water, Souma-kun! You promised to share with me!" Tadase pleaded as Kukai drank the last drop from the bottle.

"Hai, hai! Don't worry! I still have 4 more bottles left with me!" he grinned as he threw his now empty bottle in a nearby trashcan.

We all actually managed to get to school 30 minutes too early. All I could remember was that I was sleeping peacefully, until mama barged in and told me that Kukai and Tadase-kun were waiting for me downstairs. I was in such a rush that I didn't even have time to shower. Simply rubbing a wet towel over my body and body-spraying would have to do.

I sighed as I lazily leaned my back on the wall behind me, and sat down on the back of my legs.

'Seriously, I still could've been asleep on my bed right now…' I complained in my head as I allowed my eyelids to drop.

"Hinamori-san, are you okay?" I suddenly heard Tadase ask me.

I popped my eyelids open, eyes still a bit foggy.

"E-Eh? Oh, yeah. I'm just fine, thanks." I let out a weak smile as I lightly rubbed one eye.

Tadase-kun just stared at me for a few seconds with a concerned look on his face before letting out a sigh.

"Gomen. I begged Souma-kun not to bother you this morning." He apologized.

"Hey! It would've been better if we all came together, right? It was just a total coincidence that I met you in the market this morning, so I figured, why not let Hinamori tag along when we passed by her house so we'd all be complete?" He grinned as a reply to my scowl.

"Well, yes. I guess that's good—but still! We dropped by at her house to early!" Tadase said back.

"It's fine, it's fine. What happened, happened." I said after a sigh.

Kukai just smiled at what I said.

"Why don't you take a short nap while the other kids still aren't here? We'll just wake you up when we have to." Kukai offered generously as he flashed me a grin.

I stifled a yawn before I replied.

"Thanks, but, I'd rather not. Who knows, when I wake up, it might as well be afternoon already." I teased.

"Ha! Nice thinking Hinamori!" Kukai said after letting out a loud guffaw.

"Hm, thanks."

**)(Normal POV)(**

After waiting a few minutes, more and more kids slowly started to fill the campus, until everyone was present.

"Yosh! Everyone's finally here! We can get in the bus now." Kukai yelled over to Tadase, who was examining some weird red flowers, and Amu who was still leaning against the wall, not seeming to move an inch.

With an exhausted look on his face, he ran over to both of them, threw Tadase onto his shoulder, and grabbed Amu by her wrist.

"Oy! If we don't hurry it up, all the good seats will be taken!" Kukai said as he rushed over to our assigned bus.

"O-Oy, Souma-kun! Slow down! I think I'm gonna be sick!" Tadase suddenly yelled out as he covered his mouth with a hand.

"Not on me, you don't!!" Kukai yelled back as soon as he Tadase's expression.

Amu was too numb to even know what was going on.

As Kukai scanned the seats of the bus, he sighed at the sight of the back row being completely occupied.

"Aw, man! That was the best seat!" he mumbled angrily.

"ah well. Guess the middle rows will have to do now."

He stared at the 2-person seat beside him and sat Amu down near the window.

"Ah, Arigatou." Amu mumbled she rubbed her head, feeling unusually dizzy for some reason.

"No prob. Least I could do for troubling you this morning." He grinned.

"Ah! Hotori-kun! Do you have a seat yet?" Sensei suddenly yelled out, out of nowhere when he set his eyes on Tadase.

"Huh?"

Tadase took a quick glance at the empty seat beside Amu before he faced back at sensei.

"Eto…Not yet. Why?" he hesitantly replied back, knowing sensei needed something from him.

As soon as sensei heard his reply, a relieved smile suddenly formed on his face.

"Ha…what a relief. Do you mind sitting up here with me? You're the only one these girls will listen to..." he said as he pointed his thumb at a bunch of girls near the front seat, giggling, gasping, and waving at boys who entered the bus.

"…I'll need all the help I can get." Sensei smiled nervously at him.

"H-Hai" Tadase stuttered.

He turned to face Kukai, and put on a sympathetic smile.

"Well, guess I'll see you and Hinamori-san as soon as we reach our stop, huh?"

"Mm, guess so."

As he watched Tadase walk towards sensei, he saw some girls from his class wave flirtily at him, and Tadase simply waved back, hardly looking at them. As Tadase took his seat beside sensei, Kukai suddenly felt a wave of relief wash over him, making him blush a light shade, because he knew exactly why. And he kinda felt guilty about it.

He took his seat beside a half-asleep Amu, and let out a sigh before looking at her.

"Oy, you still alive?" he teased when he noticed she didn't move a muscle for a few minutes.

He was answered by a soft hit on the arm. He let out a weak laugh as he patted her head playfully.

"Are you still tired? Geez, what were you doing all night yesterday?" Kukai laughed-- Then abruptly stooped, his face turning a bright shade of red as he turned away from Amu, hand over his mouth.

Amu gave him a blow on the arm again, but this time she did it with energy—a lot of energy.

"I-it's not what you're thinking, pervert!! I was just up all night with my mom! She forced me to watch this romantic TV drama or something…" Amu said, blushing lightly.

"…She says that I don't know anything about romance, and keeps complaining that I'm already in high school, and I don't have a boyfriend yet. Geez, can you believe it? Just because she had her first boyfriend while she was in middle-school…"

Kukai just stared at her, a sympathetic look on his face.

"You can't push yourself on that thing, Hinamori. Those kinds of things are not something to make light of…" Kukai mumbled.

Amu looked up at him, and saw his hair fall over his face.

"Well, you sure sound experienced." Amu giggled.

"E-Eh? N-No! It's not like that!" Kukai suddenly defended himself.

She just let out another giggle before facing back forward, and leaning back comfortingly on her seat. Her eyelids starting to feel heavy again.

"…actually, I already have someone I kinda like…" Amu mumbled, blushing a light shade while ding so.

"…Though—I'm not so sure if he likes me back…" She continued.

Kukai just stared silently at her, his face with an obvious hint of seriousness. His eyes showed that there were countless thoughts zipping through his head right now.

"…though he teases me by doing slightly perverted things, he only probably does that for his own pleasure, and it probably doesn't even have any meaning behind it—but still, I like the guy…now there's nothing much I can do about it…" her voice trailed off as her eyelids finally fell, and she was sound asleep.

Kukai just continued staring at her as she leaned her head on his shoulder, and a strand of her fell over her face. Kukai felt a bit relieved that she fell asleep, because he had no idea of how to reply back. He slowly lifted a hand and gently tucked in a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"well then, That guy must be very lucky to have someone like you to like him…" and with that, the bus engine started whirring to life.

**- End of Chappie! -**

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i am so sorry dat there was not much ikuto in this chappie :( --or, at all actually-- but u gotta understand, there wuz juz no room 4 ikuto in dis chappie // but i'll make him show up as soon as possible :D well, no choice since this story's about 2 come to an end, but at least wen that happens, u guys will finally understand d story :D rofl!!


	37. Chapter 37

well, THAT was unusually early update =.O rofl!! XDD

didnt take a month or anythin!! rofl!!

anyway, i gotta say i was a bit dissapointed dat i dont get as much reviews as i used to :( [[i juz KNEW makin it dis long was a bad idea DX think dis story's lost its touch or sumthin 3 rofl!! XDD ah well.]]

anyway, CHAPPIE 37!! XDD

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**- Chapie #37! –**

I don't know how long that ride took, but it sure didn't feel very long since I was asleep for most of the trip. Well, actually, we haven't even reached our stop yet.

As I slowly lifted my eyelids, I could feel my seat vibrating below me, and my neck felt a bit stiff. I stifled up a yawn as I tried to sit up straight—but I couldn't move my head.

'…Eh?'

I noticed that there was something slightly heavy on it, and my body was pretty numb from being in the same position for who knows how long, so I couldn't really tell what it was. I lifted my hand to find out what it was, and when I felt something, I widened my eyes a bit and felt my face start to heat up. I kept my hand on Kukai's hair. Not quite sure of what to do, and the numbness quickly leaving my entire body. This was definitely an awkward pose—and my hand on his head like really doesn't help at all.

I gulped as I shakily brought my hand back down, then blushed ten fold when I accidentally brushed my fingers on Kukai's lips.

'Oh crap, my neck's really starting to hurt now.' I complained in my head, a bead of sweat slipping down the side of my face.

I glanced up a bit, and spotted a lock of his orange hair fall over his face.

"...but…I don't wanna wake him up or anythi--…"

A straight expression fell on my face as a flashback of what happened this morning came into mind.

'……then again…….'

I brought a hand up and placed my index finger on the side of his head, then as I held it in place; I brought my own head back up, straight expression not leaving my face. As soon as I was sitting straight again, I suddenly separated my finger from his head and let him drop down heavily to the side.

"N-Nani?!? W-What happened?!? Car accident?!?" he suddenly yelled out, snapping out of his sleep.

He looked at me as I watched the scenery pass by behind the window. When he noticed the smirk that suddenly appeared on my face, he immediately got a hint of what just happened.

"Oi. What did you do to me just now?" he asked glumly, obviously still half-asleep.

"Nothing. Just gave you a little wake up call is all." I smiled at him.

I suddenly widened my eyes when I spotted a line of drool coming from the corner of his mouth.

'Oh God, please no….'

With a hopeless expression on my face, I looked up and slowly placed a hand on top of my head.

As predicted, I felt a slimy pool of drool on the spot where I placed my hand.

"Waaahhhh!! That is SO gross!!! Kukai, you jerk!!" I suddenly yelled out, grabbing Kukai's shirt and wiping it on my head, trying to rub off as much drool as possible.

"H-Hey!! Not on my shirt!!" Kukai protested.

"S-Shut up! This is your drool anyway!!" I argued, totally messing up my hair now, but I didn't care—as long as I get the drool out of my hair!!

"W-Well, yeah—but still!!"

**)(Normal POV)(**

Amu suddenly stopped wiping her head, and let out a sigh, keeping Kukai's shirt on her head and covering most of her face.

"There is no way I'm going out looking like how I am now." She mumbled.

Kukai widened his eyes a bit at what she said, and then felt a bit guilty about what happened, though he really didn't do it on purpose.

"Hey, umm—sorry. I didn't mean to do that…" Kukai started.

"…anything I can do to help?"

Amu didn't reply for a few seconds, and then she slowly brought her hand up and pointed at one her bags up on the luggage tray above them.

"…I have a brush in that bag—mind getting it for me?" she mumbled.

Kukai glanced up and spotted her pink and black striped shoulder bag.

"Sure, I don't mind—but, there's just one problem." Kukai grumbled lazily.

"…and what is that?"

Kukai waited a few minutes before replying—almost like he was giving a little time for Amu to try to figure it out herself.

"…How can I get it when you're clinging onto my shirt?" Kukai sweat dropped.

Amu blushed lightly as Kukai said that, and realization hit her hard on the head.

"…I-I knew that…" she lied.

Kukai just rolled his eyes.

"…Right. Sure you did."

Amu brainstormed during the few seconds that they stayed silent. She couldn't cling to Kukai's shirt for the whole trip!!

"……….Take off your shirt."

"……………."

"……………."

"……I'm sorry, wha--?" Kukai stared at her, his face somewhere between bewildered, shocked, stupefied, dumbfounded, and pissed. It was a combo-platter of all expressions mentioned.

"….Take off your shirt..." Amu repeated.

"…I asked if I could help you!—Not strip for you!" Kukai protested, blushing a bright red.

A vein suddenly popped up on Amu's forehead as soon as he said that.

'What does he think I am!? Some kind of pervert!?'

"Exactly. You asked if you could help, right? Well, I really need that brush, and if I remove this shirt from my head now, your spit will start to dry, and it'll be harder to brush." She went on.

"….Well, okay, but…" Kukai muttered.

"Don't worry. I won't look if that's what you were thinking." Amu pointed out, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"T-That's not what I was thinki--!" Kukai cut himself off with a sigh.

He knew arguing with her any further wouldn't get him anywhere.

"…Fine—but this calls even for what happened this morning."

"…fine."

With a shrug, he slid out of his shirt and let it fall over Amu's head.

Amu widened her eyes when she felt his shirt fall loosely over her. She didn't expect him to really take it off, especially since Kukai has a habit of never letting anybody tell him what to do.

She blushed a light shade when he placed his hand on her head and got up to get her bag. She could've sworn that she heard some camera flashes and a couple of girls gasp.

'Oh crap, this isn't good.' She thought as she widened her eyes.

Amu knew exactly what would go on when these kinds of things happen. Rumors would spread, girls would go crazy, and, without a doubt, Amu would be included in all of that! She wondered if Kukai was as concerned as she was.

Discreetly, she took a peak at Kukai's expression, trying her best not to glance at his torso. Then she suddenly widened her eyes when she saw that Kukai wasn't panicked at all. He just had a blank expression on his face, totally oblivious to all the cameras flashing right now. Then for a brief moment, he took a glance at Amu, then just let out a sympathetic smile, as if to say 'heh, don't worry. I'll handle this as soon as things get out of hand.'

Amu blushed a light shade of pink before burying her face back in Kukai's shirt.

'Tch.'

Kukai sat back down and rubbed the back of his head, slightly annoyed at the sight of all the boys of his class hooting and wolf-whistling.

"Here—your brush." Kukai said.

Amu didn't move from her position, still a bit nervous to look up.

Kukai just scratched his head as he looked at her—or more specifically—his shirt.

"Oi, you can look now. I don't really mind, now that half of the high school department saw me shirtless." He laughed.

Amu still didn't budge. That fact didn't help at all, coz it just rubbed in that this was all her fault.

"…hey, the more you hesitate, the longer I have to go shirtless, you know that?.." Kukai laughed.

"…'sides, you wanna brush your hair or don't you?"

Well, that was true.

Hesitantly, Amu peaked out of his shirt again, and blushed a bright scarlet red when the first thing she saw was Kukai's bare torso.

"Gah!" she squeaked as she backed herself up until she touched the window.

She shivered as she pulled down Kukai's shirt to cover her face again.

"…Oy, don't be so shy." Kukai sweat dropped.

"…Besides, didn't you already see me half-naked when we went to the beach?"

When it looked like she wasn't going to give in any time soon, he just sighed and poured some of his bottled water on her brush.

Amu was surprised when Kukai suddenly, but gently pulled his shirt off her head, and started brushing her hair back.

She couldn't do anything but just watch dumbfounded as Kukai leaned over and just kept brushing for her. It stayed like that for a couple of seconds before she snapped out of it when a drop of water hit her nose.

"O-Oi, What do you think you're doing?—and, why is my brush so wet?" she asked as she tried to brush his arm away.

"Oy, don't struggle! I thought you wanted to brush your hair?" Kukai protested.

"Yeah, I wanted brush my hair." Amu exaggerated the 'I'

"…And please answer my second question—this better not be more drool!" she joked around a bit.

Suddenly, Amu kinda regretted what she just said when a serious expression suddenly washed over Kukai's face as he backed away from her a bit.

"…As if…I would ever do something like that…" Kukai said as he looked straight into Amu's eyes.

He looked down at the brush before continuing.

"…I just poured some water on it to help wash off the spit a bit. Sorry if—you were against it."

He threw the brush lightly at Amu's direction, and Amu caught it unsteadily with both her hands.

"….Kukai…." she muttered softly.

He slid back into his shirt, starting to get the chills, before he let out a sigh and rest his chin on the palm of his hand, and his elbow on the armrest of the seat. Then he just gazed off into space, a blank expression on his face.

As Amu watched him for a few seconds, she could've actually felt sorry for him—if she hadn't known him so well.

"Hai, hai. You can quit the act now, Kukai." She said, lightly karate-chopping his head, making him widen his eyes in surprise.

"…Eh?" Kukai faced her.

Amu grabbed the brush and started brushing her hair back, feeling it still slightly frizzy at the back.

"I know you all too well to fall for something like that, Kukai." she smirked.

He was left speechless for a few seconds as he stared at her. Then he suddenly let out a loud guffaw.

"What, you saw through me that quickly? I really have been wearing off on you." He laughed.

Amu couldn't help but smile at the sight of him grinning again. It would be impossible for her to get used to him all gloomy. That's just not how Kukai would act. That wouldn't be Kukai at all.

* - * - * - *

**)(Amu POV)(**

"Yosh! Finally!" Kukai yelled out in relief as the bus came to a halt in an empty parking space.

"Geez, it's about time. My legs were really starting to get stiff!"

He stretched his legs under the seat in front of us and let out a yawn to prove his point. I just let out a weak smile with a straight expression as I got up along with everyone else. Multiple groans filled the air and arms stretched up. It felt as if we all just finished watching a long boring movie at the cinema.

"Oy! Go do your groaning outside! Just listening to it makes me sick." A yell suddenly came from the driver's seat.

I widened my eyes a bit when I noticed that his voice sounded somewhat familiar.

I just shrugged as I got my bag from the above luggage tray and placed my brush back in. I forgot to put it back during the rest of the trip, and had to hold it in my hand the whole time. With one last stretch, Kukai got up from his seat and grabbed his bag as well. As he slung it over his shoulder, he just smiled at me and headed towards the bus door, and I followed. As we walked along, I spied on Tadase's seat to check if he was still there. It was empty.

'Hm, I guess sensei needed his help outside the bus as well.'

As I was about to exit the bus, I took a glance at the driver's seat, and I widened my eyes when I saw his brown curls and familiar childish features again.

"Ah, It's you!" I proclaimed as I pointed at him like some kid would point at a monkey in a zoo.

"…What are you doing here?!" I asked.

I was just glad that all the other students went ahead of me already, otherwise I would be totally embarrassing myself right now. The only one besides me and him that was in earshot, was Kukai, who was currently just watching me with utter curiosity and a 'you guys know each other?!' kind of look on his face.

He tilted his snow cap up a bit to see just who it was that acknowledged him as an alienated outsider with a bored expression on his face. As soon as his eyes landed on a strawberry-pink headed girl, whose index finger was apparently directed at him, he widened his eyes a bit.

"…Hey, if it isn't the rain-soaked girl from that time. Had any recent good showers out on the streets lately?" He teased with a smirk.

"S-Shut up…" I forced on a twitching smile.

I didn't want to freak out in front of him after seeing each other again for only 10 seconds.

"A-Anyway, what are you doing here?—and as our bus driver? What happened to your cab driving career?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, I still am a cab driver, I just wanted to temporarily work as a bus driver today to earn some extra cash." He grinned at me.

"O-Oh, well, then do you want to come along with me and Kukai for the field trip? It looks like you have nothing else to do anyway—uh…" I thought back and realized that I never even got his name yet.

'Oh geez, why is it that I always forget to ask about the important stuff?' I sweat dropped.

"Uhh, sorry, what was your name again?" I scratched my head awkwardly.

He looked up at the ceiling calmly before he replied.

"…It's Eric." He closed his eyes for a brief moment then opened them up again and faced me.

"…Eric Dalton." He smiled.

A light blush crawled up my cheeks. That smile. I don't know why, but—it somehow made me feel happy…but also a bit sad as well. An instant flashback came back to me, and I remembered why I always had these strange feelings every time I talk with Eric. – He reminds me of someone. Someone who could always make my heart jump with just one smirk. Soon enough, it wasn't Eric's face that I saw behind that smile—but someone else's.

I quickly brushed the thought away, not wanting to remember anything I don't want to remember—or better off forgotten.

Eric just looked at me with an eyebrow raised, sensing something wasn't right.

"Anyway, I can't. I have to park this old rust bucket in the parking space that they provided for us. They only allowed me to park here for a few minutes to drop off all the students." He said, trying to get back to the subject and snap me out of my thoughts.

"A-Ah, --Okay then…" I stuttered.

"…See you later then, I guess."

As I stepped down the bus, I took a quick glance at him again. He had his hands behind his head in a relaxed way and was staring out at the window shield, a blank expression on his face.

I didn't know how, but—there was definitely something unusual about this guy…

**- End of Chapie -**

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I apologize if i added 2 much kukamu =w= juz dat my frend is a total kukamu luver, and took advantage of the opportunity since i owe her a lot. hahaha!! XDD

[[o crap. school starts agen in 4 days TT^TT]]

PLZ REVIEW!! XDD [[even if its just a simple 'i hate it' =3]]

-ittadakimasu!!- XP


	38. Chapter 38

Okay, i have a veeerrrryyy understandable reason for my my update was--4--months l8...

-ehem-

well, as a 4th year high school student, i hav other responsibilities in lyf that i need to prioritize, for example, my college applications.  
ive been damn bc with schoool l8ly, hw, projects, skul events, EXAMS...and my upcoming college lyf isnt helping at all.

so, obviously, i wont hav much tym to go on d comp and type thise 3,000+ words per chapter story.

noooowww, i wont be able to tell you guys EVERYthingthat kept me bc these past few months, so ill just stop at that. im sure u guys arent interested anyway XDD =]

Belated merry xmas and a happy new year!! 

* * *

**- Chapie # 38! -**

"Alright, Settle down!" yelled out an annoyed sensei.

All the chatting and noise suddenly quieted down.

"…now as you all know, we are here today to have some fun, right?" Sensei called out to everyone's attention.

A chorus of enthusiastic 'hai''s filled the air all at once.

"Right, so for today, you'll all be allowed to roam around the park in small groups. But don't wander off too far away, because we'll all be meeting up here again at exactly 7:00 sharp for the fireworks display." Sensei announced, tapping his finger on his watch to make his point.

"Got it?"

"Hai!"

I let out a sigh as the crowd quickly dissolved and all the other students started talking about where they should go first, and picking out group members.

Yup, we were spending the whole day in a park. Drove for hours in a cramped old bus—to get to a park. Why not any other park you ask? Because this is the closest park the school could find that would allow us to have out fireworks display. That's why.

'…Great. What are we supposed to do for 6 hours?' I asked myself glumly.

I looked around me exhaustedly, thinking of where to go, and spotted a wooden bench to my left. I widened my eyes I bit when I noticed how comfy it looked, sitting under a shady oak, and thin rays of light landing on its brown paint. At this point, I came to a conclusion that I was suffering from a heat stroke. Because I never thought that a day would come when I would adore a bench. But what the hay, it looked like some scenery you would find in paintings.

'6 hours. That should be plenty of time.' I sighed and headed towards it.

As I listened to the patting of my feet on the ground, I heard some girls from my class rush around, finding cool places to hang out in. Kukai had to go find the nearest bathroom as soon as we got out of the bus, and sensei was still talking to Tadase about what to do when things get out of hand. Guess I was on my own for a while. I came to a halt as soon as I was in front of the bench, and took a quick glance at the tree branches above me. With a sigh, I sat down.

As I watched people finalize their plans for the day, I spotted Tadase walking over to me, an exhausted look on his face.

'What exactly did sensei make him do?' I sweat dropped.

When he came to a halt in front of me, he heavily took a seat beside me and let out a yawn.

"Um, hey there, Tadase." I started nervously, not sure if he still had the energy to speak.

He faced me slowly, light bags under his eyes, before replying.

"Ah, hello, Hinamori-san" he smiled weakly.

A concerned look quickly popped up on my face, but I tried not to make it too obvious.

"…Oi, what did sensei make you do for the whole trip?..." I asked.

"…You're obviously more exhausted than a normal kid our age should be."

He replaced the smile on his face with a semi-questioning look.

"Huh? What are you talking about, Hinamori-san?" he said nervously, a crooked smile quickly forming on his face.

I just sweat dropped at his response.

"You don't have to hide it Tadase. I can see through your face that you obviously didn't sleep a wink for the whole trip on the bus…" I pointed at the bags under his eyes.

"…What exactly were you doing for the whole time?" I narrowed my eyes, getting mildly suspicious.

He just stared at me with a semi-worried expression on his face for a few seconds before he lowered his head a bit and put on a weak grimace.

"…It's nothing. I just didn't feel like sleeping is all." He replied plainly, facing the other way.

I just stared at him, confused, for a short while.

'…that's not like Tadase. Something must be up…' I thought to myself.

I widened my eyes a bit when a leaf slowly landed on my nose.

'Eh?'

I picked it up and raised my head to look up at the tree, and watched as its leaves slowly started falling down and landing all around me and Tadase. As I just continued watching, a smile was suddenly formed on my face at the sight I saw.

'Wow, this spot really does look like a scene you would see in paintings.' I thought to myself.

A light brown leaf quickly caught my attention, and I widened my eyes in wonder as I watched it gently float down and land beside me. I just kept staring at it for a few seconds before I picked it up and held it up in front of my face, blocking some sunlight form my eyes. When I noticed that there was a small shadow coming from behind the leaf, I turned it over and was a bit surprised at what I saw.

"Tadase, look!" I suddenly said out loud.

He widened his eyes in surprise as he faced me, and I quickly shoved the leaf in front of his face.

"E-Eh? He stuttered as he stared at the ladybug clinging onto the leaf.

"See? A ladybug!" I exclaimed with a smile.

"W-What about it, Hinamori-san?" he sweat-dropped.

"Well, right now, this leaf kinda resembles you…" continued smiling as I lowered the leaf from his face.

He just kept staring at me with a startled and confused look on his face, waiting for me to go on.

"…sooner or later, the thing you're hiding will grow bigger and bigger—and one day--it'll just devour you whole…"

I brought the leaf down and just stared at him, a weak smile on my face. He looked into my eyes with a sympathetic look for a few seconds, before he leaned back on the bench and let out a sigh.

"You always could change my mind in a second just like that…" He mumbled weakly, a soft smile on his face.

"…Eh-?...What?"

A confused look on my face.

"…No, it's nothing" he laughed.

He looked me in the eye again, startling me a bit, before he replied.

"…Anyway, you're right…" he said as he leaned forward, and rest his elbows on his lap.

"…Besides, I can't keep anything from you for very long—and you know that." He smiled.

I simply replied with a peppy look. Well, I guess I couldn't deny that. I guess it was a gift I had ever since I joined the guardians.

He let out a sigh before he finally decided to reply.

"…Actually, the truth is—"

"SOUMA-SENPAI!!!~~"

Tadase was suddenly cut off w/ a startled expression as a couple of freshmen girls ran over to Kukai, Who was just heading over to our direction.

Tadase and I just stared in mild astonishment as we watched the girls blush and started asking Kukai some wild random questions.

I just sweat dropped as I silently watched them bounce up and down in excitement.

"Wow, to think that up until now, Kukai would still be this popular…." I mumbled weakly.

I suddenly widened my eyes a bit as I noticed how Tadase was staring at Kukai. His face was completely expressionless as he just kept silently watching.

'…Tadase?...' I thought to myself in concern.

After a few seconds, Kukai let out a sigh as he continued coming over to our direction, after the 2 freshmen were finally satisfied with what happened.

"Hey, Kukai" I greeted him when he reached us.

"What happened back there? Looks like someone had fun." I teased and gave ou a smirk.

"Gee, you think?" He looked at me glumly with exhausted eyes.

"…They asked for the toilet paper that stuck under my shoe as a 'souvenir' for this fieldtrip." He said before letting out a heavy sigh and taking a seat between me and Tadase.

"…I swear. It's those kinds of girls that I'll never fall for." he pouted.

"Yeah well, I guess that's one of the down-sides of being one of the most popular guys in school." I laughed

He looked at me with one of those pouty-looks, before turning his head back forwards and replying.

"If that's the case, then I just wanna be like you guys—downright unpopular" he let out a grin.

Then a vein suddenly popped up on my forehead, my fist trembling in front of me.

"…Damn you, you little--!..." I started, but held back when he let out a heavy moan and bent his neck backwards, making his head face up, and that exhausted look reappeared on his face.

Meanwhile, I couldn't help but feel concerned about Tadase, who now had his fists on his lap. I really wished that I wasn't so thickheaded. To think that it should've gone away after a whole year.

…It made me feel stupid.

There wasn't a single moment when my friends weren't there for me—and yet for them, I can't even figure out the simplest things.

'Man, how ironic. I can handle defeating Easter and purifying thousands of x-eggs better than handling my normal life.' I almost let out a stupid grinny giggle.

Suddenly, after Kukai was fully recharged , he got up from his seat and stretched his arms up in the air.

"Wellp, that's enough rest for me! Otherwise my body will start to get all stiff~"

With one last yawn, he grabbed mine and Tadase's wrists, and before we could even let out a remark—or at least a simple 'eh--?!'—we were off…just like that.

* - * - * - *

…NEVER—AGAIN…

-pant-

…NEVER—EVER—AGAIN…

Those words kept rushing around in my head as we finally came to an abrupt stop.

I couldn't stop panting. What I've just been through was one hell of a workout—for me at least!

After dashing off, he zoomed around the whole park, dragging me and Tadase along with him, saying that he wanted to see and know all the different areas of the park before actually visiting one—which really pissed me off. We could've just looked at the park map, which was posted in a big metal sign thing for all the visitors to see! I spotted one after we zoomed past the huge fountain in the middle of the park, but he said that checking the maps is the losers way of doing it.

I mean, seriously!

I groaned before I took a sip of my soda, Kukai's treat.

'And I thought field trips were supposed to be fun and stress-relieving…' I sighed in my head.

As Tadase took a sip from his drink, Kukai started stretching in front of us. Most probably getting ready for another lap. I just groaned.

"Yosh! Now that we've seen most of the areas in this place, where do you guys wanna head to first?" He grinned.

"…Souma-kun, I don't think I'll be going anywhere for a while." Tadase sweat-dropped as he massaged his thighs, which were bruised multiple times from being bumped into fences and scratched form passing through bushes.

'Dude, that's what you get for wearing Boy Scout shorts all the time' Kukai mentioned with an awkward-like smug look on his face.

Tadase just blushed as a reply.

I stared up at the sky with an expressionless face for a few seconds, then looked back at Kukai.

"Well, I would've loved to visit the dolphinarium here, but I think it closed about an hour ago already." I said as I watched the sun set lower and the sky slowly turning into a dark shade of orange.

Kukai widened his eyes a bit in confusion before he turned around and saw the same scenery I did.

"…Ah, I see…" he sweat-dropped.

"So you do." Tadase and I said in unison with straight faces and I just rest my chin in my hand.

"Eheheh, but look in the bright side! At least we got to see most of the places in here already, right?" He quickly turned around and scratched his head.

"Yeah, and the dolphinarium not being included in the 'most'." I shot back.

He was left speechless for at least 3 minutes with a dumb-founded expression on his face before he glanced at his wrist watch and looked back at us.

"Well, look at the time. Fireworks gonna start pretty soon now…"

…no reply…

'Well, this is certainly becoming more awkward than I expected.' I thought.

We all continued too stay quiet and drown in this bath of awkwardness for about 10 more minutes before Kukai finally broke out.

"Okay! Fine, What do you want me to say?! I'm sorry already, there!" He was practically pulling his hair out 'coz of the silence.

I couldn't but let out a little smirk.

It always had been Kukai' weakness to be left in an awkward moment. He was just already so used to being the life of the party and being surrounded by noise and liveliness—so I wanted to take this opportunity to be the 'high' one in the group for once—just to see what it was like.

"…alright, the fireworks are gonna start any minute now, so let's get a move on." I said after I let out a sigh and scratched the back of my head in a 'cool' kinda way, before I turned around.

Yeah, I felt pretty stupid, but hey, you can't blame me for wanting to have the spotlight every now and then when I'm surrounded by the school's most popular boys. Try it. It's pretty hard to get the least bit attention when you want it.

"We better get there in time, otherwise, sensei will—" I cut myself off when Kukai suddenly placed his hand on my shoulder, and his face beside mine.

I widened my eyes when he then said into my ear:

"Oi, don't get ahead of yourself, baka. That weakness of mine was soo last year. Just to let you know, ever since I started hanging out with you, my popularity dropped drastically low. But luckily, its still high enough to be the center of all the girl's conversations and forums." He grinned widely in a victorious look.

I blushed madly as soon as he finished his sentence.

'Was I really THAT easy to see through?!'

"S-S-S-Shut up!!" I yelled as I quickly turned around and jabbed a finger in front of his face. Such an annoying grin!!

"D-Don't say anything so embarrassing!!—especially when it's directed towards me!!" I continued yelling out.

The grin never left his face as he turned around and waved a hand in the air playfully as he walked forward.

"Hai, hai. Whatever you say…A-mu-cha-n~~" he said, turning his head to the side to face me as he said my name, a smirk on his face.

I kept glaring at him with a 'seemingly like' murderous intent in my eyes—until I realized that he was actually walking away.

"O-Oi, where are you going?" I asked, curious, but still very pissed off.

He turned his head a bit to face me, but didn't stop walking.

"Where does it look like? To go see the fireworks of course. That was the whole point of this field trip." He said matter-of-factly.

A vein popped up on my forehead, but I resisted the urge to run after him and just pound the snot out of the smug face of his.

[[oh wow, I sure did grow violent this year…]]

"B-But, the place where we're supposed to meet up in is in the other direction." I double-checked my memory of the routes that Kukai dragged us through just to make sure.

"Yeah, so?"

"W-What do you mean, 'so'?! Are you seriously trying to get us lost or something?!"

He stopped in his tracks with his hands in his pockets and turned his head to stare at me with a serious expression on his face.

A chill suddenly ran down my spine.

"…When I said that we passed through most of the areas in this park, that included all the secret scenery hotspots…" He smirked.

"…Bet THAT wasn't in the park map."

After I realized I was staring at him with my eyes wide open in an amazed expression, I quickly crossed my arms in an arrogant way, and turned my head to the side, slightly blushing, but still pissed.

"W-Whatever. I still blame you that I wasn't able to go to the dolphinarium today." I said stubbornly.

He let out a little snicker before he continued walking on.

I just watched him walk on, because at that point, I realized that something was amiss. It took me a few seconds to figure out what it was though.

"…Oi…"

He stopped in his tracks again, but this time, turned his whole body half around to face me. Both his eyebrows raised in a wondering look, but a bored expression on his face.

"Aren't you going to grab our wrists and drag us along with you to wherever you're going?" I asked.

He let out a weak smirk before facing back forward and continued walking on.

"If you guys don't hurry up, I'm gonna leave you behind." He announced.

I just stared after his back for a moment before I gave in.

'Geez, how annoying.' I thought.

"c'mon, Tadase. We better catch up. It looks like he's our only hope of finding our way back to the bus." I said as I faced him.

Again, he had that expressionless look on his face as he stared after Kukai, but strangely enough, I wasn't so concerned anymore. Maybe because my mind was concentrating more on getting pissed off at Kukai. Hmm. Go Figure.

It took Tadase a few seconds to reply and get up. His legs still a bit sore.

"H-Hai."

He quickly ran to my side, and with that, we followed after Kukai, to God-knows where…

**- End of Chappie! -**

* * *

also, if anyone's interested, or if u think uve got d skillz, u can send me a message via , or , saying that u want to volunteer to help my finish up my story =]  
ive got the ideas all ready, but ill need sum1 2 help me type and publish them on2 d net. i rilly dont think i hav much time 2 spare nowadays....

privilages or disadvantagaes may include, but r not limited to:

1] Spoilers to upcoming chapters and ending  
2] Writer's cramp  
3] less time to spend for real-life  
4] gives u sumthin 2 do in ur spare time  
5] may help improve ur story-writing skillz

etc.....

**NOW, PRESS THAT OL' MAGIC BUTTON!  
--OR NO COOKIE 4 U!--**

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	39. Chapter 39

ahahah, and yet, another l8 chappie ||D

actually, i was finished w/ dis chappie since january. juz cudnt find d tym 2 type it in.

i don think ill even b able 2 complete it by d time i graduate O.O hope i do though! coz after i graduate, i rilly wont hav d tym 2 type in any more stories...

so sorry in advance 2 every1 if dis story goes uncontinued

----

guess nobody really wants 2 take over dis story, huh?? TT^TT

-sob-

* * *

**- Chappie # 39! -**

We followed Kukai to an empty abandoned control tower, only about 3 stories high. The controls here malfunctioned a long time ago, so they built a new control center at the west side of the park—or at least, so says Kukai. But hey, that guy can be pretty reliable—most of the times.

…………….

You know what, let's just say that he has some 'semi-reliable' sources. Yeah. That's better.

"I don't remember ever passing by here." I sweat dropped as Kukai creaked open the steel gate to the building.

"Maybe that's 'coz you were knocked unconscious at the time." Kukai replied, kicking the gate in place so it wouldn't budge anymore.

"Tch. Well I wouldn't be surprised if I really was. What with all the bushes we passed through and countless walls and fences we hit. But then again, I really don't think I'm that weak." I replied in an annoyed tone as I followed him into the building.

The front door was pretty easy to open. The doorknob was missing, but a swift kick quickly opened it. Inside was a bunch of old rusty equipment, most of its controls and buttons missing, and cobwebs hanging on the sides and corners.

'…wow. This place really is abandoned.' I thought as I sweat dropped and watched a spider lower itself on a string of web.

"now, there should be an elevator here somewhere." Kukai said, looking left and right.

"What makes you so sure that there's an elevator here?" I asked, astonished on how he gets these ideas.

"Hey, no building's complete without them." He laughed.

I rolled my eyes.

"Of course they aren't." I replied in a sarcastic way.

We spent a few minutes pushing and moving away old boxes and crates, trying to find ways to the roof. Though Kukai has heard about this place before, he still didn't know enough to locate the stairs—or elevator—in this place.

We spent a few more minutes coughing on the dust and moving crates, before we finally moved a huge box and I widened my eyes in amazement—and a bit of annoyance.

"Tch. I guess when you're right, you're right." I said in a single tone, only half meaning it, as we all stared upon the rusty elevator that was hidden behind the huge box.

"Ha! Well, what can I say? It's a gift." He said with a smug look on his face.

Ignoring his comment, I focused my attention on the staircase leading upstairs, which was just beside the newly-discovered elevator.

"Well, we better get a move on then." I said as I headed towards the stairs, not wanting to spend another minute looking at that elevator which was mocking me right in the face.

As I walked towards the staircase, I stopped in my tracks when I heard Kukai let out a cough in a not-so-natural way.

"…what is it?" I sighed as I hesitatingly turned around to face him.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked teacher-style, his arms crossed.

A sweat drop slid down the side of my face as I hesitated answering him for a bit.

"Um, up the stairs, sensei. Isn't it obvious? Why, is there a problem?" I said, a semi-annoyed look on my face.

"Well, maybe just a bit…" he untucked one of his arms and looked at his nails from different angles, just like what a freshly-manicured teacher would do.

"…By taking the stairs, you will be denying our sense of adventure, equivalent to the destruction of morale and self-esteem…" he said, looking at me with a straight-forward look on his face.

"Is that really what someone would do to her fellow friends?"

"Tch! Do you even know what 'morale' means?! Don't try to act smart!"

He just replied with a smile.

And a vein appeared on my forehead.

I had no idea what he just said, but I shot him an annoyed glare, pretending I did. I didn't get what he meant, and wasn't trying to, but I did get what he was trying to imply.

"But you can forget it! I am NOT getting in that rusty metal deathtrap!" I stated.

"Aww, c'mon! What's the point of findin' it if we're not even gonna use it?? --Killjoy..." Kukai pouted.

"…you're soo not fun."

Another vein popped up on my cheek.

"W-Well, sorry for not wanting to risk getting stuck in a 90-year old rust bucket! I guess I'm just not one of those crazy thrill-seeker types!"

"Mm, no, you're not…" Kukai stated matter-of-factly with his arms crossed.

"Tch." I hissed.

Kukai then unfolded his arms and placed his hands on his hips—Probably in a serious pose.

"Mm, okay then. How 'bout another race? You take the stairs, and Tadase and I, the elevator…"

"H-Hey! Don't I get to choose my ow--!" Tadase yelled out, and was cut-off.

"…The one who gets to the roof first will be the winner. The loser gets to do the winner's assignments and homework for a whole week. Deal?"

I started to get a bit suspicious of this deal, but when I looked back and compared the stairs with the elevator, I figured there was no way I could lose. After all, this is only a 3-story building. Plus, if that elevator really is as old as it seems, then it would take a while for those heavy doors to open—if it was—even able to work.

I looked back at Kukai, who had a sure victory grin on his face.

"Tch. Sure. You're on." I smirked.

"B-But, wai--!" Tadase went on—and got cut-off again.

"…READY!..." Kukai started.

We got into our starting positions.

"…ON YOUR MARK!..."

Kukai massaged his button-pushing finger.

"…GET SET!..."

Tadase let out a sigh.

"…GO!!..."

I quickly took off for the stairs and Kukai grabbed Tadase's wrist and went for the elevator button.

In a few seconds, he was already able to push the button way before I even touched the stairs. But luckily, I was right. The door didn't open immediately, and he continued pushing the button over and over, as if it would make the door open faster.

"c'mon, c'mon!!" Kukai grunted.

"Pffft" I couldn't help but let out a little smirk.

I was finally able to reach the stairs as the elevator door started to open.

"c'mon, damn thing! Open faster! My homework is on the line here!!"

I hurried up the stairs and tried to calculate how long it will take me to reach the roof, and how long for the elevator.

'…let's see…' I thought as I continued running up the steps.

'…each step is about—a hand or so high, and judging from the height of this building, the amount of steps should be equal to—about—a lot of hands. Probably. The elevator travels at a speed rate of—a rusty elevator. So, for me to reach the roof, it should take about—umm, 50 hands—raised to the power of 3—multiplied by 4—divided by the square root of--…'

I thought I was gonna throw up.

'…Gah! They make this seem so easy in the animes!' I grunted.

'…Who cares! As long as I keep running, there's no way I can lose!' I finally applied common sense in my theory.

I continued dashing up the stairs with my speed practically doubled. And I think I was starting to feel sweat running down my neck.

'…Damn. At this rate…'

I picked up the pace and made a turn where the stairs led higher.

'…c'mon, just a bit more!...'

I was already starting to pant. Who knew running up a 3-story building's stairway could be so tiring?

'…There is NO way in HELL am I doing that guy's homework!...'

Finally, when I made one last turn, I spotted a large brown wooden door, almost probably leading to the roof.

'…Finally!...' I thought with a huge smile as I ran faster towards it.

When my hand landed on the doorknob, I quickly gave it a quick turn, and pushed the ancient door open. I was expecting to see bright light pouring into the dark stairway below me and hitting my eyes, but I guess I forgot—It was already evening.

As soon as my body stopped moving forward, I placed my hands on my knees and continued panting, making the only noise I could hear in the night.

'Damn. Why was I so pumped up about winning this race again?...'

I wondered as I thought back, panting as I did.

'…I think it was to prove they were wrong—or something along the lines of that.'

I kept panting as I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. When I started regaining most of my consciousness, I realized there was somebody in front of me when I saw 2 feet. I looked up—

--and oh, the horror I saw…

"Well, as soon as we get back home, you better grab a pen, Hinamori. Coz you've got a ton of homework to do—my homework, that is." Kukai said with a victorious grin.

I kept looking up, my eyebrow twitching—either from exhaustion, or annoyance.

'…What—the…'

I rubbed my eyes in an attempt to make the living nightmare right in front of me vanish—but to no avail. He laughed.

"Heh, I told you. Technology is man's best friend, Hinamori." He smiled and offered me a hand.

"…And when did you say that, exactly?"

"Um, think it was while I was day-dreaming this exact same victorious scene while I was in the elevator. I had a lot of time while waiting for my win, you know." He smirked.

I shot him a glare, but after a while, accepted his hand anyway, realizing I was too tired to get up by myself. I was even to tired to say anything to contradict him.

---

After I was able to stand straight again, I continued staring at him with an annoyed expression as I finger-combed my hair backwards to get it out of my face. He just continued smiling at me innocently. I was too exhausted to do anything about it though.

"…So are you going to tell me how you beat me here, seeing as though it was virtually impossible for you to win in the first place." I crossed my arms.

"Mm, maybe later. Right now, we've got a fireworks display to watch." He grinned as he grabbed my wrist, and I just watched with a surprised face as he dragged me close to the edge of the roof on the other side.

Thankfully, there were railings on the edges; otherwise I would've hit him hard on the head before he could bring me even close to the edges, with the assumption of him trying to push me off the roof.

…Okay, I now admit my imaginations can be a bit over the top sometimes…

Then, almost like it was planned, the first firework slowly flew through the sky, and exploded into countless tiny colorful flames, making a small spiral pattern in the night sky, and letting off a faint 'boom' sound. Not long after, it was followed by many other fireworks, exploding at random moments and bursting into different colored flames and sparks. Colorful figures were instantly appearing in the sky. Hearts, stars, circles, spirals—you name it.

"…Wah…"

I just watched in amazement, staring up at the sky with my eyes wide open. A huge smile printed on my face. Suddenly, I didn't feel so exhausted anymore.

Behind me, Kukai and Tadase were also watching the fireworks. Obviously less amazed than I was, with their arms crossed. But at least I was able to glance that they were also watching with smiles on their faces. Weak or not.

With a faint smile, I let out a weak exhale and faced back up to the colorful explosions above me. As I continued watching the random flames explode and fade away almost instantly, I felt the cold wind hit against my bare arms, sending a mild chill up my spine. I hugged my arms for a bit more warmth, but I guess that didn't really do any good.

I just continued watching the sky above me, the smile gone from my face by then. The wind blew from behind me, and my hair gently hit my cheeks. This scene seemed somewhat familiar to me. Excluding the fireworks, I remembered that I've been up on a roof one time before on a chilly night like this.

Though seeing the fireworks did restore some of my energy, I was still too tired to think of anything right now. How much more to actually remember something.

I continued looking up as I tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear.

My memory of that night is pretty blurry right now. I couldn't even remember what the event was on at that night. All I _could_ remember was that--that night was very special to me. I think that I even marked it down on my calendar just so I wouldn't forget it.

I remembered that I was actually happy on that night. I had fun.

I let out a weak sigh. Why was I even trying to remember? It's not like that was the only night where I actually had fun.

I continued to stare up, an expressionless look on my face.

…But still. There was something about that night that was—unique.

The fireworks continued exploding in the night. Colorful sparks and shapes filling the sky. Then, images suddenly appeared in my mind one at a time. My memory was slowly coming back to me—when I wasn't even trying to remember it.

In one image, I saw myself smiling. Laughing.

'…what…Is this…'

I saw colorful balloons.

…a party.

…a long twirling stairway.

'…what…' I thought as my eyes started to water up a bit, and a tear slowly formed in the corner of my eye.

---

…I saw a starry night.

…a gold foil-wrapped chocolate cat.

---

'…of course…' I thought as the tear started to fall.

---

…I saw myself looking annoyed. But blushing.

'…it was from that night.' I brought an arm up over my eyes & raised my head up higher.

---

…the 2 of us sitting together. Beside each other.

---

'…Dammit—you really won't let me stop thinking about you...' the tear finally slid down my face.

---

…when he placed his lips against mine…

---

And the last firework exploded in the sky, making a big pink heart appear…

---

'…Ikuto…'

**- End of Chappie! -**

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**and der u hav it! =]**

**hope u guys enjoyed dis chappie!**

**exams r cumin up, so please, 4give me if i take a while 2 update agen X[**

**plz review on dis story!**

**id really appreciate it if u did^^**

**ARIGATOU-GOSAIMASU!!~~**

**d next chapter is wen d real action starts agen! so watch out 4 d next update! =3  
**

**!!CLICKETY-CLICK!!**

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	40. Chapter 40

**...Yes, i know no amount of sorry's would be sufficient enough to make up for all d lost time '_'****for that, i am truly, deeply sorry -bows-****College life hs been a TOTAL PAIN so far,- but am i glad we get sembreaks 8D****well, since nobody wanted tot ake over d story, i was just on my own, so dat gave me a really hard tym ,  
****anyway, sorry if u find this chapter insufficient and plain. i cant say i actually gave my all in this chapter, and i lost inspiration for writing this story a while back already ****but then i realized i had to take responsibility for starting this story, then, and only then, will i be able to start my next fanfic on my LiliXLeo Fandom~~! XDD BWAHAHAHAHAH!****i cant beleive that i bothered to post this up wen d official manga had already ended ,****i found d ending quite a cliffhanger :/ damn.****well, anyway, umm, hope u guys havent gotten sick of this story yet (even if i have-a bit 8D)****please tell me watcha think ^^"  
**

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**Chappie # 40! –**

I moaned as the annoying ringing began to start, and I faced the other side of my bedpulling my blanket over my ears.

'Ugh. I really gotta remember to stop setting that thing during the weekends…' I hesitatingly lifted my eyelids.

Without turning towards it, I moved my arm behind me and bumped it around to find that goddamned clock. After a few hits on the tabletop, I finally managed to locate it, and with a push of the button, the ringing finally stopped – and I was sound asleep again in no more than a few seconds.

. . . . .

But of course, sadly, no bliss is permanent.

A while after, another ringing started to sound. But this time, louder, and with a different tune. I slowly lifted my eyelids again, starting to get really pissed.

'. . . . .Ughh . . .' I turned over on my bed, face-down, and placed my pillow over my head.

The ringing went on and on, ringing the same tune over and over again.  
- I just continued lying in the same position for a few minutes—

-until my annoyance meter finally reached its limit. . .

"GAH! Curse you Thomas Edison for creating the damned alarm clocks! And you too, Isaac Newton, for creating WEEKDAYS! I mean COME ON! Who would ever find those helpful?" I suddenly screamed out, throwing my pillow and blanket up in the air and finally getting up.

The ringing just continued as I paused in my new annoyance pose for a few seconds, my fists up in the air and my face an annoyed wreck. I stayed like that for a while, until I was finally able to realize something.

"…Eh. Wait a minute – I only have one alarm clock. . ." I blinked.

I looked over the table top beside me and saw my cell phone vibrating like crazy on top f it, its screen flashing, indicating an incoming call.

"…ah, I really have to change my ringtone to something less alarm-clockis-ish." I sweat dropped.

I picked up my phone and anwer—

"WHAT TOOK YOU SO EFFIN LONG TO PICK UP? HAAA?" suddenly yelled out a woman's voice form the other line.

"U-Uh, Utau, well, umm…" I stuttered as beads of sweat started forming around my face. 'Scary. I didn't even finish narrating my last senten—'

"NEVERMIND! Save your excuses for later! Right now, get dressed and get out of the house as quickly as you can! This is urgent! NOW Amu! I'll be waiting!" . . . and with that, she hung up.

I stared silently at my phone as that long annoying 'beep' sound that comes after you hang up, filled the silence of my room, confusion written all over my face. After seconds of just staring at this slab of metal in hand, I realized:

'. . .better get dressed now, I guess. She sounded dead-serious over the phone just now.' I sweat-dropped as I pushed on the 'disconnect' button.

I had the feeling that if I wasted any more time than I already had, Utau would make sure that I would not get to see the next days to come.

With lightning-fast speed, I quickly grabbed the first shirt and pair of shorts I could find, putting them on immediately. After giving my hair a few swift brushes, I dropped my phone in my front pocket and headed for the front door.

But apparently, due to all the noise I made while getting ready, I managed to wake up Ran and the others from their long, Long, LONG nap.

With a bag yawn, Ran popped out of her egg first, followed by Miki, then Suu. The usual order of appearances.

"Waaahhhhh~! Best nap EVER!" Ran yelled out happily, stretching her little arms up in the air.

"Though sleeping for long periods of time isn't actually very healthy, Ran. Desuu~" replied a sleepy Suu.

"Ugh, how long have we been out for?" Miki groaned, rubbing her eye sluggishly.

"Mm, I'd say for about 20 chapters or so, desu~" Suu calculated with her mini-fingers.

". . .That long, huh?" Miki replied with a downcast expression.

I was caught off-guard there for a moment.

". . .Where have you guys been all this time?" I asked, a bead of sweat sliding down the side of my face.

"Ah! Amu-chan! Long time no see!" Ran laughed, floating towards me.

She totally ignored my question.

"Oh, Amu-chan! We've missed you!" Suu replied happily.

I just stood there watching them all smile happily after a long time asleep. There was nothing I could do, actually.

". . .Ahahah, im glad to see you guys again, too." I put on an awkward smile.

". . .But seriously, where have you guys been all this time?" I asked curiously.

"Ah, about that. . ." Ran said, placing a finger on her chin in a thinking pose.

"Apparently, the author got really pissed including us in the story, so she basically just discarded us halfway. Even as she's typing this right now, she's wishing she can just skip this part and get on to the part where you and Ikut—.."

"RAN! DON'T SPOIL IT!" Miki and Suu yelled out in unison.

"A-Ah, right. Sorry." She just laughed awkwardly.

'Eh? Author? What autho-…' I thought halfway before Ran suddenly jabbed her finger just a few centimeters form my face.

"ANYWAY! Just because we were gone for an unknown period of time, don't think that even for a second, we don't know what's going on!" Ran stated with a victoriously smug grin on her face.

"Mm-hm! We stayed updated with the chapters we haven't been on while we were gone! We are your charas after all." Miki nodded.

"No explanations needed! Too much hassle!"

"SO! What are you waiting for? Utau-chan's waiting for you, isn't she? You really shouldn't keep her waiting. Now, LET'S GOOOOO!" Ran cheered as she dragged me with her to the front door.

"GAAHHHH! Don't let go! Don't let gooooo!" I screamed for my life as I tried to pull myself up.

"Well I WILL if you won't stop struggling like that!"

Utau shifted her arms to get a better grip of me. Trying to hold up a struggling person 50 ft. up in the air – isn't as easy as it sounds. And it sure doesn't even SOUND easy, does it? I just found myself in this situation before I even knew what was going on.

As soon as I stepped foot outside my house, I was suddenly grabbed under d arms and swooped off the ground, just like that. We were already 30 feet above the air before I finally caught up with what was happening.

Feeling too sick to look down, I glanced up instead. I always had been afraid of heights—well, ay least heights this high. Utau's wings continued flapping in the air, and I squinted my eyes as I just watched sunlight pouting in between every white feather, her long pink dress flapping along with the wind. She was wearing a serious expression on her face, which made me wonder what exactly was going on, though I figured that now might not be such a good time to ask. I faced forward again, a blank look on my face. I felt Utau pick up the pace a bit as the wind hit my bare skin, and we spent a few minutes in silence.

. . . . . . .

". . .Ikuto."

. . . . . . .

". . .Huh?" was the only reply that could come out of my mouth at the moment as I blinked a couple of times.

I glanced up at Utau again, wondering why she suddenly brought him up.

Utau still had the same serious expression on her face as she did a while ago. She suddenly picked up the pace again, but this time, at the speed of someone in a race.

". . .I know where he is, and what he's planning." Utau went on, getting a better grip of me to ensure I won't fall.

I continued staring up at her, still too confused to reply.

". . .I need you to help me stop him, no matter what, we can't let him pull through with his plans!" Utau stated, her face getting more serious.

I just watched her, getting more and more troubled by her thoughts and whatever she knew.

". . .and what exactly is he planning?" I finally managed to open my mouth.

Utau suddenly seemed startled when I asked. She looked down at me for a while with an unsure look on her face before looking back forward and focused on where she was flying. She was obviously hesitating – but why?

". . .Utau?" I asked, concerned about what was really happening.

After a few seconds, Utau gulped before finally opening her mouth to reply.

". . .Ikuto—will be travelling to Paris tonight with Lulu—where he plans to live with her starting thereon."

The words she just said didn't completely make it into my head. Slowly, it burned through, still not quite processing—more because I didn't want it to. As we continued flying, it was as if the wind that hit against my skin suddenly got cooler.

". . . . . .W-Why-.?" Was all I managed to choke out a while after.

Utau knew enough not to say anymore, and we continued flying in silence for a moment.

…Until Utau felt a wet drop land on her hand. She looked down at me, and saw tears trickling down, a blank expression over my face and hair over my eyes. I didn't even bother wiping them. . .why bother at all?

". . .A-Amu, I'm sorry, but that's why we have to st-. ." she started with a downcast face before I interjected.

"Enough! Bring me back home! Leave Ikuto alone to do whatever he wants! Who cares about that goddamned cat? Let him go to Paris and be all lovey-dovey with that Easter girl for all I care!. . ." I spouted out furiously, feeling all the rage just erupt.

"A-Amu…!" Utau started.

I settled down a bit after, losing all enthusiasm in an instant.

". . .I—don't care about him anymore. . .bring me back home. . ." I said, feeling more tears trickling down, and I let out a sob.

". . .please, Utau. . .please. . ." I sobbed uncontrollably, bringing my hands to my eyes in a useless effort to stop the tears.

Utau didn't reply for a while, and just continued going forward at a fairly slower pace. I figured that she was finally going to take me back home when she stopped and floated midair.

". . .What. . ." she stated

I was going to look up and stare at her in confusion, when she suddenly jetted forward at an alarming speed. Fast enough to push my brains behind to the back of my head.

". . .U-U-U-Uta-. . .!"

". . .WHAT the heck do you think you're saying! You're not the Amu I know!. . ." Utau suddenly yelled out, determination all over her face.

"w-wha-. . .?"

". . .The Amu I knew never gave up on Ikuto! No matter what the reason, she was always there for him, in every situation! She wouldn't lose faith in him just from something like this. . .!" a tear suddenly formed in the corner of her eye.

". . .For everything. . .everything that Ikuto does, always has a reason behind it. Everything. That's why—in situations like these—we just have to trust him. If we can't do anything else. . .we have to trust him. . ." Utau started sobbing silently.

". . .so, you're going to help me find out his reason for this. . .right?" She looked down at me again, a weak, but hopeful, smile on her face. Her tears still dripping down.

I looked up at her, a surprised but understanding look on my face.

She was right. Ikuto always had his reason for everything. Be it good or bad, there was always a reason behind everything he did. A sudden wave of guilt washed over me for what I said earlier. How could I have lost my faith in him so easily? Ikuto. . .

I raised the heel of my hand to my forehead, a repulsed look on my face.

. . .I'm the worst.

I looked straight forward again from between my fingers, a determined expression on my face.

'. . .Just you wait, Ikuto. . .'

And I wiped the last tear from my eyes with the back of my hand.

'. . .I'm coming for you. . .'

The words she just said didn't completely make it into my head. Slowly, it burned through, still not quite processing—more because I didn't want it to. As we continued flying, it was as if the wind that hit against my skin suddenly got cooler.

". . . . . .W-Why-.?" Was all I managed to choke out a while after.

Utau knew enough not to say anymore, and we continued flying in silence for a moment.

…Until Utau felt a wet drop land on her hand. She looked down at me, and saw tears trickling down, a blank expression over my face and hair over my eyes. I didn't even bother wiping them. . .why bother at all?

". . .A-Amu, I'm sorry, but that's why we have to st-. ." she started with a downcast face before I interjected.

"Enough! Bring me back home! Leave Ikuto alone to do whatever he wants! Who cares about that goddamned cat? Let him go to Paris and be all lovey-dovey with that Easter girl for all I care!. . ." I spouted out furiously, feeling all the rage just erupt.

"A-Amu…!" Utau started.

I settled down a bit after, losing all enthusiasm in an instant.

". . .I—don't care about him anymore. . .bring me back home. . ." I said, feeling more tears trickling down, and I let out a sob.

". . .please, Utau. . .please. . ." I sobbed uncontrollably, bringing my hands to my eyes in a useless effort to stop the tears.

Utau didn't reply for a while, and just continued going forward at a fairly slower pace. I figured that she was finally going to take me back home when she stopped and floated midair.

". . .What. . ." she stated

I was going to look up and stare at her in confusion, when she suddenly jetted forward at an alarming speed. Fast enough to push my brains behind to the back of my head.

". . .U-U-U-Uta-. . .!"

". . .WHAT the heck do you think you're saying! You're not the Amu I know!. . ." Utau suddenly yelled out, determination all over her face.

"w-wha-. . .?"

". . .The Amu I knew never gave up on Ikuto! No matter what the reason, she was always there for him, in every situation! She wouldn't lose faith in him just from something like this. . .!" a tear suddenly formed in the corner of her eye.

". . .For everything. . .everything that Ikuto does, always has a reason behind it. Everything. That's why—in situations like these—we just have to trust him. If we can't do anything else. . .we have to trust him. . ." Utau started sobbing silently.

". . .so, you're going to help me find out his reason for this. . .right?" She looked down at me again, a weak, but hopeful, smile on her face. Her tears still dripping down.

I looked up at her, a surprised but understanding look on my face.

She was right. Ikuto always had his reason for everything. Be it good or bad, there was always a reason behind everything he did. A sudden wave of guilt washed over me for what I said earlier. How could I have lost my faith in him so easily? Ikuto. . .

I raised the heel of my hand to my forehead, a repulsed look on my face.

. . .I'm the worst.

I looked straight forward again from between my fingers, a determined expression on my face.

'. . .Just you wait, Ikuto. . .'

And I wiped the last tear from my eyes with the back of my hand.

'. . .I'm coming for you. . .'


End file.
